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.
The Republican-controlled US Senate passed President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill on Tuesday, signing off on a massive package that would enshrine many of his top domestic priorities into law while adding $3.3 trillion to the national debt.
More than a thousand schools were closed in France on Tuesday and the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was shut to tourists as a severe heatwave continued to grip Europe, triggering health alerts across the region.
Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, in a major setback for a government under fire on multiple fronts and fighting for its survival.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, allowing an end to the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.