UK study: Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccines offer high protection against hospitalization from Delta variant

Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and AstraZeneca offer high protection of more than 90% against hospitalization from the Delta coronavirus variant, a new analysis by Public Health England (PHE) showed on Monday.

PHE said that the Pfizer/Biontech Covid-19 vaccine was 96% effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant, first identified in India, after two doses, while Oxford/AstraZeneca's offered 92% protection against hospitalization by Delta.

PHE said that those levels of protection were comparable to that against the Alpha variant, first identified in Kent, southeast England.

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The analysis adds to evidence that, although the Delta variant reduces the effectiveness of vaccines against symptomatic infection, two doses of Covid-19 vaccine still protect against severe disease.

"These hugely important findings confirm that the vaccines offer significant protection against hospitalization from the Delta variant," said Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at PHE.

The PHE findings follow a Scottish study which showed that two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine among people who tested positive cut their risk of hospitalization by 70%, although there were not enough hospital admissions reported to compare the vaccines.

PHE said that while further work was being undertaken to establish the level of protection against mortality from the Delta variant, levels of protection against death were expected to be high.