Vaccination against Covid-19 significantly reduces the risk of serious illness, the first studies on the “real world” effects of the UK’s inoculation drive found.
Researchers found the risk of being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 drops substantially within weeks of the first dose of a vaccine.
The results of separate studies carried out by Public Health Scotland and Public Health England were released on the same day UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the roadmap out of lockdown.
The Scotland study showed that four weeks after a first dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccines reduced the risk of hospital admission by up to 85 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively.
Among those aged 80 years and over, one of the highest risk groups for Covid-19, vaccination was associated with an average 81 per cent reduction in hospital admissions.
The data was gathered between December 8 and February 15.
In that period, 1.14 million people, or 21 per cent of Scotland’s 5.4 million population, received a vaccine.
Researchers compared how many vaccinated and unvaccinated people were admitted to hospital with Covid-19.
In England, the inoculation of medical workers showed the Pfizer shot reduced the risk of infection by more than 70 per cent with one dose, rising to 85 per cent after the second dose.
There has not been enough time to assess the effect of the Oxford vaccine, which was authorised at a later date than that from Pfizer, officials said.
Researchers said the vaccine was able to reduce transmission of the virus.
Health staff who were vaccinated were tested every two weeks whether or not they had symptoms.
One dose reduced the risk of catching the infection by 70 per cent, researchers said.
“We’re showing that not only are you reducing symptomatic infection, you are reducing the number of those with asymptomatic infection as well,” PHE strategic response director Dr Susan Hopkins said.
“Reducing infection is key to reducing transmission.”
The studies provide the first publicly available data on the effects of the UK’s vaccination campaign.
Prof Aziz Sheikh from the University of Edinburgh, the lead author of the Scotland study, said the findings were positive.
"These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future," Prof Sheikh said.
The results have not been peer-reviewed, but they could ease concerns over Britain's decision to delay second doses to provide quicker protection for more of the population.
That decision was supported by another University of Oxford-led study on Friday, which showed its vaccine was more effective when there is a 12-week window between two doses.
Prof Sheikh said he expected other countries to follow suit.
"I am very encouraged. We now have national evidence ... that vaccination provides protection against Covid-19 hospital admissions,” he said.
"Roll-out of the first vaccine dose now needs to be accelerated globally to help overcome this terrible disease."
Jim McMenamin, of Public Health Scotland, said the findings were particularly important "as we move from expectation to firm evidence of benefit from vaccines".
Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said the research offered "encouraging early data" on vaccination reducing hospital admission.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
