A doublet against a variant.

And in the end, it looks like the duo are stronger than the virus.

According to a study published Monday by the British health authorities, two doses of the anti-CovidPfizer / BioNTech or AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccines in fact protect more than 90% against hospitalizations after contracting the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which initially appeared in India.

The Public Health England (PHE) study shows 96% protection against hospitalizations after two doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and 92% for Oxford / AstraZeneca.

"It is crucial to get vaccinated a second time"

Out of 14,019 people who contracted this variant, only 166 were hospitalized, reveals the study conducted between April 12 and June 4, stressing that these are "results comparable to the effectiveness of the vaccine to avoid hospitalization. linked to the Alpha variant ”, which appeared at the end of 2020 in the south-east of England.

"This proof of the effectiveness of two doses against the variants shows how crucial it is to be vaccinated a second time," said Health Minister Matt Hancock, welcoming that the British vaccination program has "already" saved thousands of lives ”.

The Delta variant is dominant across the Channel

A previous PHE analysis had shown that two doses of the vaccine protected the Delta variant as effectively as Alpha, but not a single dose.

For Mary Ramsay, responsible for PHE vaccination, "it is absolutely vital to receive both doses as soon as they are offered in order to obtain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants".

More contagious than the Alpha variant, the Delta variant is now dominant in the United Kingdom, the country most damaged in Europe by the pandemic with nearly 128,000 deaths.

Currently, almost 80% of adults have received one dose of the vaccine in the UK but only 57% have received two doses.

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