With nearly 180,000,000 Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 as of July 2021, it seems as though the end of this pandemic is in sight.
Yet some may still wonder if vaccines are really worth getting.
A study published in the beginning of April 2021 clears up any doubts about efficacy as it found that both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are extremely effective at preventing infections in the real-world setting.
The researchers found that individuals who are fully vaccinated, which is achieved two weeks following the second dose, experienced 90% effectiveness in COVID-19 immunity while those who were only partially immunized, which is two weeks following only one dose, experienced 80% effectiveness from either vaccine.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use mRNA technology and have been found to be extremely effective.
Image Source: Yulia Reznikov
This study focused on nearly 4,000 healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers in various areas around the United States. Instead of being in a controlled setting, these participants went along with their usual lives during the study period. Some of these participants got fully vaccinated, while others were only partially vaccinated or given a placebo. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose, was not included in this study.
The participants were regularly tested for COVID-19 throughout the study period. By the end, there were 161 infections in the placebo group, but only three infections among those who were fully immunized and only eight infections among the partially immunized.
From these very low rates of infection in vaccinated people as opposed to unvaccinated people, the researchers were able to conclude that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are working extremely well to prevent infection in a real-world setting. This effectiveness was seen even when the researchers focused only on the participants’ sex, age, ethnicity, or occupation. This is very reassuring, especially as vaccine distribution gets more widespread.
Getting vaccinated is the next step to putting the pandemic behind us. All Americans over the age of 16 are eligible and encouraged to receive a vaccine to protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19. Click here to reach the CDC’s Vaccine Finder website.
Featured Image Source: cherryandbees
