Two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are
around 85 percent to 90 percent effective against the symptomatic disease,
Public Health England (PHE) has said, citing a new analysis of real-world data
from the rollout of the shot in the UK.

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In its latest weekly COVID-19
vaccine surveillance report on Thursday, the PHE also estimated that 13,000
deaths have now been prevented in people aged 60 years or older in England up
to May 9, 2021 (11,100 deaths in individuals aged 80 years and older, 1,600 in
individuals aged 70 to 79 and 300 in individuals aged 60 to 69 years).

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New analysis for the first
time approximates that 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine provide around
85 to 90 percent protection against symptomatic disease, PHE said in a press
release.

That compares to 90 percent
estimated effectiveness against symptomatic disease for the Pfizer/BioNTech
vaccine, according to reports.

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Commenting on the PHE data, UK
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said the new statistics show the
vaccine “saves lives and protects you from ending up in hospital with
COVID-19.” “The 13,000 deaths and the 39,100 hospitalisations that
have been prevented are not just numbers. They are our family, our friends, our
loved ones, and a poignant reminder of the impact the vaccine is having,”
he said.

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With the threat of new
variants, it has never been more important to get the vaccine, Hancock added.

UK’s Vaccines Minister, Nadhim
Zahawi said: “This new data highlights the incredible impact that both
doses of the vaccine can have, with a second dose of the
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine providing up to 90 percent protection.”

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PHE estimates also indicate that the vaccination program has
prevented around 39,100 hospitalizations in those aged 65 years and over in
England. Methods
used for analysing the roundabout number of deaths and hospitalization averted
by the covid-19 vaccine program now take into account the
bump of both first and second doses, due to more data being available.