GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - The Pfizer vaccine's protection level against hospitalisation due to Covid-19 is 83% (alpha variant) and 94% (delta variant) after the first dose, and 95% (alpha) and 96% (delta) after the second dose.
Prof Gregory Hussey, director of Vaccines for Africa and member of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), gave an overview of the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine during last week's Covid-19 digital conference of the Western Cape Health Department.
Citing study results published in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine on 21 July, he said the numbers show a definite relation between the level of vaccination and reduction in hospitalisation and death.
Effectiveness against infection is not so high. After the first dose it is 47% (against alpha variant - prevalent in the UK) and 36% (against delta) and after the second dose it is 94% (alpha) and 88% (delta).
The relation between Covid-19 deaths (in white), hospitalisation (in red) and vaccination levels in the USA, UK and South Africa.
Johnsson & Johnson vaccine
George Herald also reported last week that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's 91-95% effectiveness in preventing death has been proven through the Sisonke programme, during which 470 000 healthcare workers in South Africa were vaccinated.
Protection against hospitalisation is 65-66% and although breakthrough infections happen, they are mostly mild, according to Dr Keith Cloete, head of the Western Cape Health Department.
Johnson & Johnson's effectiveness against infection, hospitalisation and death.
Cloete said 96% of breakthrough cases were mild, 3% were moderate, less than 0,05% was severe and death occurred in less than 0,05% of the vaccinated in the programme.
Against the beta variant (original dominant variant in South Africa), the protection against breakthrough infection was 67% and in the case of the delta variant (current dominant variant) it was 71% effective in preventing infection.
Results from the study in the UK show the Pfizer vaccine's effectiveness against hospital admission. The results of AstraZeneca (also used in the UK, but not in South Africa) are also shown.
Effectiveness of the vaccines against infection after the first and second dose.
The alpha variant was first identified in the UK and the beta variant in South Africa. Delta was first detected in India and is spreading through many countries in the world.
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