According to a review of the effectiveness of eight vaccines that found the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE jab could be better at preventing at least two concerning coronavirus strains, current Covid shots have a high degree of defense against hospitalization and death.
Julia Shapiro, Natalie Dean, Ira Longini, and colleagues reported in a paper published Friday before peer-review and publication that efficacy against Covid-linked disease averaged around 85 percent after a complete course, escalating to nearly 100 percent defense against serious disease, hospitalization, or death. The researchers from the University of Florida compared to evidence from journal articles and media coverage for drugs that had undergone double-blind, placebo-controlled, late-stage vaccine trials, as well as retrospective tests.
“These calculations can be useful for developing statistical models for vaccine effects and making vaccination-related policy decisions,” they said. They want to update their report, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States, as new evidence becomes available.
The extraordinary pace at which safe and efficient vaccines were produced and distributed around the world enabled many economies to restart, paving the way for a rebound from the worst pandemic in a century. Nonetheless, the unchecked dissemination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus threatens breeding new strains that could negate the efficacy of these immunizations.
According to the University of Florida researchers, protection against any disease or infection for three so-called strains of concern averaged 86 percent for the B.1.1.7 strain first discovered in the United Kingdom, 61 percent for the P.1 strain that drove an explosive epidemic in Brazil, and 56 percent for the B.1.351 strain discovered in South Africa.
Vaccine effectiveness for immunizations being carried out on a local and global scale was estimated, they added. Pfizer, Moderna Inc., Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca Plc, “Sputnik”, Novavax Inc., Sinovac Biotech Ltd., and Sinopharm Group Co. brands are among them.
“Some of the estimates are based on systematic, preplanned statistical analysis from double-blind, placebo-controlled experiments,” the researchers wrote. “Others are drawn from retrospective samples of varying degrees of influence.”
The effectiveness of the vaccine to eliminate any Covid-caused illness after two doses are outlined below.
