End of lockdown uncertain as too early to say if June 21 can go ahead as planned
Britain s long-awaited end of lockdown could be delayed, the Health Secretary told MPs on Thursday, as cases of the highly contagious Indian variant continue to spread
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June 21 lockdown easing looking good as Covid jabs do protect against Indian variant
dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vaccines offer high levels of protection against Indian covid variant
gloucestershirelive.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gloucestershirelive.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 88% effective against the Indian variant after two doses, a study by Public Health England (PHE) has found.
Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as they are against the Kent variant after the second dose.
However, they were only 33% effective three weeks after the first dose.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as “groundbreaking”, while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death.
The study, which took place between April 5 and May 16, found that the Pfizer vaccine was 88% effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose, compared with 93% effectiveness against the Kent strain.