Real-world data from Public Health England comes as a reassurance against the Delta variant as the number of Covid-19 cases rises in the UK, leading experts to fear the third wave. Had all gone according to plan, on June 21, England would have fully come out of the shackles of lockdown, but that was not to be.

Pat Sharma, an accountant by profession, had already planned a lockdown-exit dosa party. However, the Delta variant had other plans. “We were tired of being inside the house and were hoping to celebrate the coming out of lockdown. But the date had to be moved to July 19. So, we took the party outside the house with restricted guests and all precautions prescribed under the guidelines,” said Pat Sharma.

The rise in Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant has dampened the plans of many in the UK. Subscribing to caution, PM Boris Johnson extended the lockdown till July 19. Experts now suggest a third wave is not far away, as this time, the sudden rise in Covid cases is more among the younger people.

“Progress made in the UK so far means the country continues to be among those with the highest vaccination rates globally. So far, more than 42 million people have had the first vaccine dose – about 80% of the adult population – and over 30 million have had a second,” said Dr. Kailash Chand, Professor of Health and Well-being at the University of Bolton and chair of Healthwatch Tameside Manchester.

Dr. Chand, who has also served as the deputy chair of the British Medical Association added, “There is still a lot we don’t know about the virus and its variants. But scientists agree that the best defence against the Delta variant is to get a full two-dose vaccination against coronavirus. AstraZeneca does seem to provide a measure of control after two vaccines.”

With vaccines now open to people aged 18 years, the question is will AstraZeneca be as effective against the Delta variant?

New real-world data from Public Health England (PHE) has shown that two doses of AstraZeneca is 92% effective against hospitalisation due to the Delta variant and showed no deaths among those vaccinated.

As of June 9, more than 2 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide and AstraZeneca has contributed 500 million doses to this global effort, informed Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca.

The evidence of the efficacy of the vaccine comes from this ‘real-world’ sample, Soriot added. The analysis also included 14,019 cases of the Delta variant.

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice-President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said, “This real-world evidence shows that COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca provides a high level of protection against the Delta variant, which is currently a critical area of concern given its rapid transmission. The data show that the vaccine will continue to have a significant impact around the world given that it continues to account for the overwhelming majority of supplies to India and the COVAX facility.”

The Delta variant is a key contributor to the current wave of infections in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. It has recently replaced the Alpha variant as the dominant strain in Scotland and is responsible for a notable increase in cases in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has recommended COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca in countries where new variants, like the Delta variant of concern, are prevalent.

As per the study, the vaccine has also shown a high level of effectiveness against the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7; formerly the ‘Kent’ variant) with an 86% reduction of hospitalisations and no deaths.

Efficient vaccination in the UK has resulted in some confidence amongst people who are queuing up outside vaccine centres in big numbers.

Pramod, who runs a pharmacy in the Hounslow area of London, which was in the red list of highly affected areas, said, “About 130-150 people come for vaccination daily and on the weekends, the number rises up to about 200.”

Explaining the government guidelines, Pramod added that 18-40-year-olds are being given the Pfizer vaccine while those above 40 are administered Astra Zeneca. “With two doses in I feel more confident to go out,” said Sumit, munching on his dosa at Pat’s party.

The hope is that vaccination will win the race against the variant and soon life will come to some semblance of normality.