COVID-19 listed as a cause of death on their death certificate.
The Moderna vaccine is also available in Scotland, but no deaths have been recorded in those who’ve received both doses, so it wasn’t possible to estimate its effectiveness in preventing death, the researchers note.
They also said that the findings need to be confirmed by replicating their research in other countries/settings, and with longer follow-up after full vaccination.
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“With the Delta variant now the dominant strain in many places worldwide and posing a higher risk of hospitalization than previous variants seen in the U.K., it is reassuring to see that vaccination offers such high protection from death very shortly after the second dose,” study leader Aziz Sheikh, director of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute says.
“If you still have not taken up your offer to be vaccinated, I would encourage you to do so based on the clear benefits it offers,” Sheikh adds in a university news release.
“Our findings are encouraging in showing that the vaccine remains an effective measure in protecting both ourselves and others from death from the most dominant variant of COVID-19. It is very important to validate these early results in other settings and with a longer follow-up study,” Chris Robertson, a professor at the University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland shares.