UK study finds Covid vaccines highly effective' against B1.617.2 variant

London: A new study by health officials in England shows for the first time that two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India.

Public Health England (PHE) said on Saturday that while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 from the B1.617.2 variant of concern (VOC) two weeks after the second dose, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was 60 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 VOC.

However, the effectiveness from both types of vaccines was found to be only 33 per cent against the VOC found in India after just one dose of either jab.

The Serum Institute of India has been producing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines as Covishield for use in India as protection against COVID-19.

This new evidence is groundbreaking and proves just how valuable our COVID-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love, said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

It's clear how important the second dose is to secure the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 and its variants and I urge everyone to book in their jab when offered, he said.

"I'm increasingly confident we're on track for the roadmap because this data shows the vaccine after two doses works just as effectively, and we all know that the vaccine is our way out of this," added the minister, raising hopes that the June 21 end to lockdown date remains on track.