Benzinga | Mar 2, 2021 05:51AM EST

AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNtech Single Shot COVID-19 Jab 80% Effective At Preventing Hospitalizations In Elderly

A recent study revealed that one dose of either Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE)/BioNtech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) or Oxford-AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ: AZN) COVID-19 vaccine is more than 80% effective in reducing infections and severe illness among those aged over 80, Reuters reports.

* Public Health England (PHE) found that the Pfizer jab offered between 57% and 61% protection against catching the disease after the first dose. The AstraZeneca vaccine offered protection between 60% and 73% four weeks after the first shot.

* "These results may also help to explain why the number of COVID admissions to intensive care units among people over 80 in the UK have dropped to single figures in the last couple of weeks," British health minister Matt Hancock told a news conference. "This is seriously encouraging."

* PHE submitted its analysis for peer-review after providing initial findings of the real-world impact of the rollout a week ago.

* According to a separate study in healthcare workers, one dose of a vaccine can reduce the number of people catching asymptomatic COVID-19 by 70%.

* The health authority said evidence suggested that the Pfizer vaccine causes an 83% reduction in COVID-19 deaths among the over-80s. There was no equivalent data for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which began to be administered later.

* Price Action: AZN shares are up 0.4% at $48.3, BNTX is down 0.3% at $108.89, and PFE is down 0.1% at $33.65 in the premarket trading on the last check Tuesday.