LONDON (AP) – According to the latest results from an ongoing study of the pandemic in England, the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination program is beginning to break the link between infection and serious illness or death.
Researchers at Imperial College London found that COVID-19 infections dropped by about 60% in March as national lockdown measures slowed the spread of the virus. People aged 65 and older were the least likely to be infected, as they benefited most from the vaccination program, which initially targeted the elderly.
The study also found that the relationship between infections and deaths “suggests that infections may have resulted in fewer hospitalizations and deaths since the widespread vaccination began.”
The positive news came amid a re-examination of vaccinations that followed the UK government’s revised guidelines on Wednesday that it will provide people under 30 with an alternative vaccination to the AstraZeneca injection whenever possible. The change followed studies that the injection may be related to very rare blood clots.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News that the public needs to be reassured by the abundance of caution from authorities to ensure the vaccine’s introduction is as safe as possible.
“What we have learned over the past 24 hours is that the rollout of the vaccine is working, we have seen the safety system working, because the regulators can recognize even this extremely rare event – four in a million – and are taking necessary steps to make it happen. make sure the rollout is as safe as possible, “he said.” And we see the vaccine working. It breaks the link between cases and deaths. “
About 31.7 million people had received a first dose on Tuesday, or just over 60% of the country’s adult population.
But imperial researchers also urged caution, saying infection rates leveled off at the end of the study period as the government began to ease national exclusion and return children to school. Future rounds of the study will assess the impact that further relaxation of restrictions has on infection rates.
The next step in lifting England’s third national lockdown is set for April 12, when non-essential shops will be allowed to reopen, as well as hairdressing salons, gyms and field service in pubs and restaurants.
The findings are based on data collected by the 10th round of Imperial College’s Real-Time Assessment of Community Transmission study, which conducts smear tests on a random sample of people across England every month. The latest round tested more than 140,000 people from March 11 to March 30.
Although Britain has one of the fastest vaccinations in the world, the death toll from the pandemic is the highest in Europe at more than 127,000.
Follow AP’s pandemic coverage on:
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus vaccine
https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
read more