Does the AstraZeneca Vaccine Give 97% Protection Against the Indian Variant? This Science-by-Press-Release Tells Us Nothing
A new study from India has been reported claiming to show that the AstraZeneca vaccine offers 97% protection against Covid infection. The observational study involved healthcare workers who reported to Delhi’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospital with symptomatic COVID-19 after having been vaccinated using the Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccine.
According to the newspaper report, there were a total of 3,235 healthcare workers in the study, all of whom had received at least one dose of the vaccine. Eighty five of them experienced symptomatic Covid, of which 65 were fully vaccinated and 20 were partially vaccinated. 0.06% were hospitalised, which appears to be two people. No one was admitted to intensive care or died.
This seems good. However, by itself it tells us almost nothing about how effective the vaccines are. Most crucially, there is no control group of unvaccinated people for comparison. We also don’t know how many of those vaccinated had a previous infection or exposure which would have provided some immunity – these are healthcare workers after all. Also, although this is India we don’t know which variant anyone was infected with.
Unfortunately, we can’t look into this in more detail as the study does not appear to have been published anywhere. Instead all we have is a newspaper report based on a press release.
The figures provided in the newspaper report also don’t make sense. It says:
The study covered 3,235 healthcare workers (HCWs). A total of 85 of the 3,235 HCWs acquired the SARS-COV-2 infection during the study period. Out of these, 65 (2.62%) were fully vaccinated, and 20 (2.65%) were partially vaccinated.
What does the 2.62% refer to? 65 is 2.62% of 2,480.9, but where does 2,480.9 come from? Again, 20 is 2.65% of 754.7, but what is that number?
Eighty five is 2.63% of the 3,235 healthcare workers, which is close to 2.62% and would (almost) correspond to the headline of 97.38% protection. But the percentages in the brackets have no obvious relationship to the figures they accompany.
This is yet another example of science-by-press-release and shows again why it is such a poor way to present findings. Yet the results have appeared in newspaper headlines around the world, despite no one being able to read the actual study and the shortcomings of the uncontrolled design and the confused and incomplete reporting of the data.
Nonetheless, it does seem likely that immunity from infection or vaccination will also work against the Indian variant. But science by newspaper report is no way to show it or reassure doubters.
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Another drip drip pro-experimental vaxx article dressed up as criticism? BTW, AZ has the highest deaths (756 in the UK and counting) and ADRs per jab, just for some context. I guess Will must be coming on here to bury vaccines, not to praise them.
Agree; “vaccination will also work against the Indian variant” seems to be the intended message of this article. I can think of no other reason for including it.
it’s great to see the slow collapse of the anti-vaxxers as they bow to the inevitable.
Dream on, child.
Yes – I’m afraid that there is too much vaccine gullibilty being re-sorted here.
Stop repeating MSM trash, find the numbers from proper, independent RCTs (?); check absolute as well as relative risk; forget general clinically unconfirmed ‘Covid deaths’ data; forget burbling about ‘cases’ based on testing etc.etc.
Then we’ll see some information.
Then keep in mind the massive interest issues of those pushing the vaccines, and the previous lies that have been told (such as that the impact of Covid is ‘unprecedented’ – a very basic one)
What?? … you’ve got very little left??
Quelle surprise!
I’m fascinated at the ‘down vote’ – from someone who disagrees about the need for rigorous scientific data!
… but a confirmation of the cult that is the pro-vaccine case.
Nonetheless, it does seem likely that immunity from infection or vaccination will also work against the Indian variant.
It doesn’t show any such thing.
There’s been debate about whether lockdowns kill more people than they save. Perhaps you could say something about vaccines. Here are the figures I have for the northern hemisphere places I have been tracking for some months. All figures are total official covid deaths (given as a UK equivalent) from 03/01/21 (when deaths started to shoot up in the UK) to 16/05/21, except the UK (02/01/21 to 15/05/21) and South Dakota (05/01/21 to 16/01/21) as given by Worldometer, and with the usual provisos about the unreliability of official figures. I have put them in order from highest IFR to lowest.
UK – 53,105
France – 46,995
Spain – 41,441
Sweden – 37,295
South Dakota – 35,601
Belgium – 29,547
Obviously, this doesn’t tell the whole story but, given that the UK started “vaccination” earlier than other countries, and injected the vulnerable at the worst time of year, could someone perhaps tell me if these figures are consistent with a theory that the vulnerable were killed by “vaccines” early on, leading to the big drop in deaths later as many of those who were likely to die had already been killed?
(should read “perhaps you could say something similar about vaccines)
Graphing cases and deaths for South Dakota (population about 900,00) and the UK (population about 68 million), does not seem to show any effect of the vaccines (given all caveats for causality, reporting, bla, bla, bla… and whatever). At least I can’t see it from this data set. Specifically: 1) The deaths seem to correlate with cases (by the way this is certainly not the case for Sweden, something strange going on there). 2) South Dakota had a high case rate peak about 2 months earlier than the the UK and peaking about 2 months earlier than your investigated time frame. So it is hardly surprising that the UK death rate you have calculated exceeds that of South Dakota. 3) The base UK death rate, and even the peak rates, are remarkably similar to South Dakota (although the UK had a peak early on and as detailed above the later peaks are offset). 4) The cumulative reported deaths for South Dakota and the UK are really quite similar (actually 1885/million for the UK and 2205/million for South Dakota). So it looks like what I assume to be the relatively tough cow-boys/girls/* who did not lock down came away nearly just… Read more »
The key observational data is the curve of all cause mortality, since there is no accurate data on actual ‘Covid’ – that rather pliable concept. What is notable in that curve are two peaks : 1. April 2020 (one assumes a curve of infection peaking c. 3 weeks ahead) and 2. January 2021. Keeping in mind the basic rule that correlation doesn’t automatically imply causation, the following assumptions can be made : Peak (1) includes an (unknown precisely) impact from ‘Covid’, unmoderated by vaccine, or indeed any NPIs. The curve shows a sharp rise and sharp decline, recognisable as a familiar ‘epidemic curve. Curve (2) – again with an unknown amount of deaths attributable to ‘Covid’ – includes part of the normal seasonal rise in mortality. Normal ‘Infection’ may be assumed, again to be ~3 weeks ahead of deaths for infectious disease, with vaccinations starting on 8th December. Comparing the two curves, with April 2020 providing a ‘clean’ baseline for the impact of a new infection, the following can be seen : There is no moderation of infection that can be attributed to vaccines On the contrary : There is a sharp upturn of mortality after the beginning of vaccination… Read more »
As a P.S., the root of my scepticism is based on the opening paragraph of the consultation paper justifying the abandonment of accepted safety standards for these vaccines. It is the smoking gun of warped intent :
“COVID-19 is the biggest threat this country has faced in peacetime history, which is why the UK government is working to a scientifically led, step-by-step action plan for tackling the pandemic – taking the right measures at the right time.”
Bluntly – this is a bare-faced lie about a virus that has impacted less than the great majority in those years.
Why would I take on trust anything from such a source of deception?
Another down vote from a religious fanatic who doesn’t engage with facts!
I am doing well in proving the point about vaccine belief.
Is anyone else sick of photos of arms being bared?
Yes. Some of us are trying to eat, you know. Ruddy horror movies.
The magnatised ones are funny tho
The ones with magnates stuck to them are good though.
I’ll illustrate the problem and obvious meaninglessness/fraudulent nature of these numbers using yesterday’s feted numbers on Bolton: If you have 18 people sick in hospital of whom 12 were unvaccinated and 6 vaccinated, you can only come up with meaningful efficiency numbers if you know how many in the population there were vaccinated and how many weren’t. If the ratio was 50/50, yes, the vaccines seem to have made an overall relative difference, although the small sample size remains a caveat and the absolute risk and its reduction remain pathetic compared to the effort and cost going into it. If at the extremes, almost all the 140.000 inhabitants of Bolton were vaxxed bar those 12 sick unvaxxed people, then the conclusion is pretty clear that they work. But if at the other extreme only 6 people in Bolton were vaxxed and all of them became sick, whilst of the remaining 140.000 unvaxxed 12 became sick, the conclusion is equally most obvious that the vaccines are actually THE problem, whilst the efficiency numbers as calculated here/as usual/by the official/newspaper/assumed 50/50 way would still come up with them making a positive difference! And that leaves aside the different age and risk group… Read more »
Yours is the article I wish I was seeing being reported, but it’s not, this poor stuff is what will be seen by the masses and believed.
And let’s not forget that all the time people are writing about ‘vaccines’ they are obfuscating the real issue, that there are drugs that could treat Covid-19, and whose successful use is being suppressed.
It’s another smoking gun.
Talking that much sense is dangerous, you need to look out for yourself!
Divide India numbers by 21 to compare with UK situation. UK far worse than India. India is number 119 in world league table of Covid fatalities.
Context is all. Something the MSM never provide with the raw data.
Exactly. It was this tendency that started me digging back in April last year.
The techniques of control and distortion were typical of propaganda initiatives.
Out in the open now:
https://odysee.com/@TimTruth:b/Magnetvaccinearmdocumentary:a
That’s highly dubious IMO. Just tried it on the missus who was coerced into taking it by work. Didn’t work.
it does seem likely that immunity from infection or vaccination will also work against the Indian variant.
That’s what Mike Yeadon asserts.
Well – that’ll be novel, since it doesn’t seem to be very effective against any other strain!
This ‘Indian variant’ shall henceforth be known as ‘Covid-21’
Please can governments and media adhere to the pandemic project plan accordingly.
Didi you ever this Science Fiction could RUN the Country? 66 Million People Less the Awake!