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 kept up its assault on Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip on Saturday, dismantling underground shafts and booby-trapped structures in attacks that left 34 Palestinians dead, according to Gazan health authorities.
World leaders gather in New York this coming week for a UN General Assembly dominated by US President Donald Trump's return to the rostrum, war in Gaza and Ukraine, rising Western recognition of Palestinian statehood and nuclear tensions with Iran.
Russia launched a major drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight, killing three people and injuring dozens, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
The UN Security Council voted on Friday to restore sweeping economic sanctions on Iran in response to renewed concerns over its nuclear activities, a move that drew sharp condemnation from Tehran.
The bodies of 19 people were recovered after the rubber migrant boat they were in sank off the eastern Libyan coast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.