AstraZeneca vaccine is the best at keeping people out of hospital

AstraZeneca vaccine is the best at keeping people out of hospital with just 1.52 per cent admitted and 1 in 3,000 dying compared to 1.99 per cent for the Pfizer jab, says study

• AstraZeneca vaccine has formed the roll out of Britain’s jabbing drive
• More than 25million have received this shot, compared to 21million Pfizer doses
• Experts said the study showed jabs slash the risk of hospitalisation and death

AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine is best at keeping people out of hospital and preventing deaths from the virus, a study has found.

Just 1.52 per cent of people who got the Oxford-made vaccine were admitted to wards after they caught the virus. 

And only 0.03 per cent, or one in 3,000, died from the disease.

For comparison, 1.99 per cent of those who got Pfizer were hospitalised with the virus, and 0.15 per cent died. 

The AstraZeneca vaccine has formed the backbone of Britain’s vaccine roll out, with 25million people having already received the jab.

But an alternative to the jab was recommended for under-40s in May, amid concern over a vanishingly rare blood clot. More than 21million have got the Pfizer vaccine. 

The above graph shows the risk of hospitalisation and death after catching Covid among the un-vaccinated and those who got either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine. The results showed the AstraZeneca vaccine was best at preventing hospitalisation and death from the virus

The AstraZeneca vaccine has formed the backbone of Britain’s roll out, and been administered to almost 25million people. But in May an alternative jab was recommended for under-40s amid concern over a very rare blood clot

Researchers in Bahrain and at the New York-based Columbia University carried out the study between December and July, which was published as a pre-print. 

They monitored hospitalisations and deaths among people who caught the virus in Bahrain, an island nation in the Middle East, among the un-vaccinated and those who got their jabs.

Delta Covid variant is twice as likely to land patients in hospital, study shows

The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospital admission, a study has found.

It was already known that the Covid strain first identified in India is up to 50 per cent more transmissible than the previous dominant Alpha variant, which emerged in Kent.

But the largest study to date comparing the two now shows those infected with the Delta strain are 2.26 times more likely to be admitted to hospital.

Delta is also 1.45 times more likely to see people entering A&E needing emergency treatment.

Scientists claimed this is more proof that the same traits which make the variant spread faster also increase levels of the virus in those it infects, which results in them becoming more severely ill.

The authors of the study, led by Public Health England and Cambridge University, said their results should be used by hospitals to plan – especially in areas where the Delta variant is on the rise.

Dr Anne Presanis, a senior statistician at the university, said: ‘Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic.

‘Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patient’s risk of severe illness and hospital admission.’

The study also included the Chinese Sinopharm and Russian Sputnik jabs, which were both worse at preventing hospitalisations than their European counterparts.

For those who got the Sinopharm vaccine 6.94 per cent were hospitalised, and 0.46 per cent died — which was the worst performance out of the four vaccines.

Among Sputnik recipients 2.24 per cent were hospitalised, but only 0.09 per cent died from the virus.

The results showed those who did not get the vaccine were most likely to be hospitalised or die if they caught the virus. 

Among the un-vaccinated, 13.22 per cent who caught the virus were hospitalised and 1.32 per cent died. 

The Bahraini researchers said in their study: ‘All four vaccines decreased the risk of coronavirus infections, hospitalisations, ICU admissions and deaths when compared to unvaccinated individuals.’

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, told The Sun: ‘This study shows people in the UK can be confident they’re getting the best vaccines available.

‘AstraZeneca and Pfizer provide good protection.’

The Chinese Sinopharm vaccine has been the main jab used in Bahrain, which is home to almost 1.5million people.

More than 569,000 people have been inoculated with the jab.

For comparison, 245,000 residents got the Pfizer jab, 169,000 got AstraZeneca’s vaccine and 73,000 received Sputnik.

Clinical trial results suggested the Pfizer vaccine was the most effective at preventing hospitalisations and deaths from Covid.

But experts have warned these figures may not be comparable when jabs are dished out in the real world, when other factors can influence their impact. 

Out of 3,000 AstraZeneca recipients included in the study who caught Covid, only 45 were hospitalised (1.52 per cent) and just one died from the virus (0.03 per cent).

Out of 2,000 Pfizer recipients who caught the virus, 40 were hospitalised (1.99 per cent) and three died from the virus (0.15 per cent).

Out of 3,000 Sputnik recipients who caught the virus, 77 were hospitalised (2.24 per cent) and three died (0.09 per cent).

For the Sinopharm vaccine there were 24,000 cases, of whom 1,683 were hospitalised (6.94 per cent) and 112 died (0.46 per cent).

And among the un-vaccinated almost 65,000 caught the virus, of whom almost 9,000 were hospitalised (13.22 per cent) and 857 died (1.32 per cent). 

More than 1.5million people have got the US-made Moderna vaccine in Britain, but this was not included in the study. 

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