A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted the region over the past week, sending the mercury as high as 45 degrees Celsius
asia1 hour ago
One dose of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine offers an immune response similar to that generated by infection and could also offer protection from variants to people who have previously had the virus, a British study said on Friday.
Britain in December opted to extend the gap between doses in its vaccine rollout to up to 12 weeks, with officials saying they were confident in their analysis that initial doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines generated some protection.
The study, led by Sheffield and Oxford Universities with support from the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, and released as a pre-print on Friday, found 99 per cent of people generate strong immune responses after one dose of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine.
It backs up real-world data on Britain's vaccine rollout from a study called SIREN which has found that one shot of either vaccine reduces severe disease.
"SIREN is actually showing very high vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation after a single dose, with the majority of these people having not had infection before. So, what we're trying to do is look at the mechanisms for that," Susanna Dunachie of the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Medicine, told reporters.
"We are seeing T-cell and antibody responses after one dose in people who have not had infection before. So, we find that quite reassuring."
The study is the largest real-world study on T-cell and antibody responses from Britain's vaccine rollout, and looked at healthcare workers, mainly women, who were given one dose of the Pfizer shot.
The researchers analysed blood samples from 237 people, and found that the antibody and T-cell responses in those who had not previously had Covid-19 resembled those generated by natural infection.
Those who had been previously infected generated a stronger and broader immune response, with a T-cell response that was around six times higher than those who had not been infected.
Thushan de Silva, study author from the University of Sheffield, also said that boosting pre-existing antibody responses could provide protection against coronavirus variants, including the one first discovered in South Africa which has been shown to reduce the efficacy of existing vaccines.
A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted the region over the past week, sending the mercury as high as 45 degrees Celsius
asia1 hour ago
This was following a Reuters report that some senior US officials did not find Israel's assurances credible
world1 hour ago
Chinese Premier Li Qiang promises to Musk that the country will always be open to foreign firms
auto1 hour ago
Prevailing market trends, investment opportunities and growth strategies instilling confidence in stakeholders navigating Dubai's dynamic landscape
realty1 hour ago
Both parties must be taxable; or become taxable as a result of the transfer
business1 hour ago
Israel's foreign minister says Rafah incursion could be suspended should a deal emerge to release the hostages
mena1 hour ago
The authority is currently taking measures to prevent any unsafe products from reaching the market
uae1 hour ago
Values reach an annual $2.6 billion in gross written premiums
business2 hours ago