Two shots of the Pfizer vaccine is highly effective against the new and rapidly spreading delta variant of COVID-19.
A study of 19,000 people from Public Health England, published Wednesday, found that both doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines offer protection against symptoms from both the alpha and delta variants.
The Pfizer vaccine has a 93.7% effectiveness rate at preventing symptomatic alpha infections, and 88% for the delta variant.
Two doses of AstraZeneca are 74.5% effective at preventing alpha infections, and 67% for the delta variant.
However, the effectiveness of the vaccines takes a significant dive if the patient only receives one dose of either vaccine.
The study found both vaccine brands to be slightly more than 48% effective against the alpha variant and only about 30% effective against the delta variant if only one dose was administered.
Those who conducted the study suggest prioritizing second doses, especially in vulnerable populations, to prevent coronavirus outbreaks effectively.
Israel's military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs in the southern Gaza Strip city, a senior Israeli defence official said, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Marine wildlife experts were frantically trying to rescue some 140 pilot whales stranded on Thursday in the shallow waters of an estuary in the southwest of the state of Western Australia.
A grand jury has charged 18 people with allegedly participating in an Arizona fake elector scheme to re-elect then-US President Donald Trump in 2020, the state's attorney general said on Wednesday.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.