AstraZeneca's Counterattack: "80% Severe Disease Prevention Effect in Elderly"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A study has found that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has over 80% effectiveness in preventing severe illness among the elderly and high-risk groups.

According to AFP and other sources, researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK announced on the 3rd (local time) that an analysis of patients aged 80 and above hospitalized with respiratory diseases in UK hospitals showed these results.

The researchers divided these patients into COVID-19 infected and non-infected groups and analyzed the vaccination rates of AstraZeneca vaccine (one dose) in each group. The results showed that among the infected, 25% (9 out of 36) had been vaccinated, whereas among the non-infected, a higher 58.9% (53 out of 90) had been vaccinated. This translates to a calculated severe illness prevention effectiveness of 80.4% for those vaccinated.

The rates differed slightly for Pfizer vaccine recipients. The researchers filtered out the Pfizer vaccinated group (one dose) among the hospitalized patients and calculated similarly. Among the infected, 18 out of 245 had received the Pfizer vaccine, while among the non-infected, 90 out of 269 had been vaccinated. This indicates a prevention effectiveness of 71.4%.

The researchers stated, "For elderly patients, even a single dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine showed notable effectiveness in preventing hospitalization and severe illness."

This study result comes amid some countries expressing doubts about AstraZeneca vaccine’s effectiveness in the elderly. AstraZeneca claimed the vaccine is safe and effective for those aged 65 and above, but some countries limited vaccination to those under 65.

However, Hungary decided on the same day to recommend vaccination for those aged 60 and above, reflecting a trend toward easing age restrictions for elderly vaccinations. Vienna authorities in Austria also began AstraZeneca vaccinations for those aged 65 and above on the same day, and Germany (65 and above) and Belgium (55 and above) plan to allow vaccinations soon.

Meanwhile, this study has not yet undergone peer review.