A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in Zurich, Switzerland. Reuters
A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in Zurich, Switzerland. Reuters
A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in Zurich, Switzerland. Reuters
A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine in Zurich, Switzerland. Reuters

Moderna and Sputnik edge out Pfizer in study of five Covid-19 vaccines


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

The Moderna and Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines both edged out the one from Pfizer-BioNTech in effectiveness in a large-scale study of five different shots conducted by Hungarian researchers.

Moderna’s vaccine was 88.7 per cent effective in protecting against coronavirus infection and 93.6 per cent effective against Covid-related mortality, compared with 85.7 per cent and 95.4 per cent, respectively, for Sputnik, said a paper published on Wednesday on the website of the medical journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

Pfizer came in third with 83.3 per cent and 90.6 per cent, respectively.

The research reviewed the effectiveness of five vaccines at least seven days after study subjects had received their second dose. Data from more than 3.7 million vaccinated people aged 16 and over were reviewed from January to June of this year.

“The wide range of vaccines available in Hungary allows for the assessment of vaccine effectiveness in a real-world setting in a Central European country and puts Hungary in the unique position of providing detailed information on multiple vaccine types from the same country,” wrote the authors, who include Hungary’s minister in charge of health care, Miklos Kasler, and chief medical officer Cecilia Muller.

Pfizer was administered most frequently, to 1.5 million people, followed by China’s Sinopharm at 895,465, Russia’s Sputnik V at 820,560, AstraZeneca at 304,138 and Moderna at 222,892, the study showed.

And Pfizer and China’s Sinopharm had the highest share of vaccines administered to those aged 65 and over, while Sputnik had the lowest share, data showed.

AstraZeneca displayed 71.5 per cent effectiveness against infection and 74.5 per cent against Covid-related death, while Sinopharm had 68.7 per cent effectiveness against infection and 87.8 per cent against death.

Both AstraZeneca and Sinopharm had less than 50 per cent effectiveness against Covid infection in people aged 85 and older, the study found.

This is compared to 90.9 per cent for the same age group for Sputnik, 84.1 per cent for Moderna and 74.3 per cent for Pfizer.

Hungary had one of the world's highest Covid-related deaths per capita earlier this year. The country, whose vaccination rates lag behind the western European average, reported a record number of daily infections on Wednesday as the fourth wave of the virus continued to spread.

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Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)

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T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

How to vote

Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.

They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi

Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday) 

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The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

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Updated: November 25, 2021, 9:24 PM`