- Scientists at Oxford University have released more data confirming that COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) - BioNTech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) and AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ: AZN) significantly cut the risk of infection after a single dose.
- The data come from two studies that are part of the COVID-19 Infection Survey, a collaboration between Oxford University, the government’s health department, and the Office of National Statistics.
- In studies, published researchers said there was no apparent difference in the vaccines’ ability to reduce COVID-19 infection rates.
- The research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but it is based on data from nose and throat swabs taken from more than 370,000 participants in England and Wales between December 2020 and April 2021.
- It was observed that three weeks after people who received a single dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine, the rates of all COVID-19 infections fell by 65%.
- The reduction was bigger after a second dose, and the vaccines appeared to protect against the variant first identified in the U.K.
- The vaccines were more effective against symptomatic than asymptomatic infections, reducing rates by 72% and 57%, respectively, compared with the unvaccinated population.
- The second study compared how antibody concentrations changed after a single dose of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine or after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine among 45,965 people in the survey.
- Two Pfizer doses achieved high antibody responses across all ages, particularly increasing seroconversion in older people, to levels similar to those achieved after prior infection followed by a single dose.
- Antibody concentrations rose more slowly and to a lower level with a single dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine than Pfizer’s. However, they dropped more quickly after a single Pfizer dose, reaching similar levels to those with a single dose of AstraZeneca, particularly among people at older ages.
- Price Action: PFE shares are up 0.26% at $38.74, BNTX stock is up 1.66% at $171.75, while AZN shares are down 0.1% at $52.66 in premarket trading on the last check Friday.
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