COVID-19 boosters enhance safety in opposition to loss of life from the Omicron variant to 95% in folks aged 50 or over, the UK Well being Safety Company stated on Thursday.
The UKHSA stated that round six months after a second dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines, safety in opposition to loss of life with Omicron was round 60% in these aged 50 and over.
Nevertheless, this elevated to round 95% two weeks after receiving a booster vaccine dose.
UKHSA added that information continued to point out excessive ranges of safety in opposition to hospitalisation from the booster.
Effectiveness in opposition to hospitalisation was round 90% for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot , dropping to 75% 10-14 weeks after the booster.
For Moderna, effectiveness in opposition to hospitalisation was 90-95% as much as 9 weeks after the booster.
“The proof is obvious – the vaccine helps to guard us all in opposition to the results of COVID-19 and the booster is providing excessive ranges of safety from hospitalisation and loss of life in essentially the most weak members of our society,” stated Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA.
The UKHSA additionally issued an preliminary evaluation of vaccine effectiveness in opposition to the Omicron sublineage known as BA.2, which is rising in Britain and Denmark, discovering the same degree of safety in opposition to symptomatic illness.
“After two doses effectiveness was 9% and 13% respectively for BA.1 and BA.2, after 25+ weeks,” the UKHSA stated.
“This elevated to 63% for BA.1 and 70% for BA.2 from two weeks following a booster vaccine.”
(Reuters)