Vaccines: Data from the UK adds to the mounting evidence from around the world: the vaccines are working

The latest data out of the UK is increasingly positive for the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines — as the number of hospital admissions and deaths for those aged 85+ appears to be falling faster than for any other group in England.

Hospital admissions in England peaked about a week after the UK went into its third lockdown, and have been steadily falling ever since. The rate of weekly hospital admissions is now down 71% for the 18-64 age bracket, but is down 80% for the 85+ age bracket — which were the among the first group in the UK to be offered the vaccine.

Although it's extremely early days to say anything too definitive, the early evidence is promising, particularly when combined with data out yesterday that showed the Pfizer vaccine was associated with an 83% reduction in deaths from COVID-19 — adding to similar earlier evidence from Israel's programme.

‍How this data evolves over the next few months is going to be the focus of many a study, as immune responses are estimated to take hold after a few weeks of receiving a dose, and because the 85+ cohort in England have still mostly only had one dose of the vaccine so far. Light at the end of the tunnel.