Vaccine always more effective against severe Covid-19. This is what a French study – carried out by Epi-phare and published this Monday October 11, 2021 – claims: Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines cuts hospitalization and death risk by 90% in people over 50 years of age. Janssen vaccine is the only one to have been excluded from the study.
How did this study take place? Epi-Phare scientists – a structure co-managed by the health insurance (Cnam) and the medicines agency (ANSM) – have focused on a very wide database. By comparing data from 11 million vaccinees over 50 years of age and 11 million unvaccinated people from the same age group, they have noticed “a hospitalization risk decreases by over 90%” starting from day 14 after the injection of the second dose. The study took place from December 27, 2020 to July 20, 2021.
What do the results of the study show? “It means vaccinees are nine times less likely to be hospitalized or die of Covid-19 than unvaccinated people”, Epi-Phare center director epidemiologist Mahoud Zureik told the AFP. “This decline is of the same extent for the death risk during Covid-19 hospitalization”, the study shows. Therefore, the vaccines’ effectiveness on severe Covid-19 “does not seem to decrease on the possible follow-up period that covered up to five months”, the scientist adds.
What about the Delta variant? Even for the latest variant that broke out, vaccination seems to be just as effective. But, a few months are still required to get the same results, as consolidated as for the previous variants. So far, the study bets on an 84% effectiveness in people over 75 and 92% in people between 50 and 74 years of age. “This period of time remains very tight to assess the real impact of vaccination on this variant”, the study adds.
