The Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine is 88% effective against the Indian variant after two doses, a new study by Public Health England (PHE) has found.
Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as they are against the UK variant after the second dose.
However, the study – the first of its kind based on real-world data – suggests they were 33% effective three weeks after the first dose.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as "groundbreaking", while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death.