A single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech's Comirnaty vaccine reduces hospital admission rates and deaths from COVID-19 by more than 75% in people aged over 80, according to new real-world data.

The data, published on Monday, is taken from the English health body, Public Health England (PHE), and is the first independent analysis in Britain showing the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outside of trials.

Among the over 80s, data from more than 12,000 people found at least 57% protection against coronavirus 28 days after vaccination with a single dose of the jab made by Pfizer/BioNTech, rising to 88% after a second dose.

PHE is also monitoring the real-world impact of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and will publish these findings in due course – but said early data suggested the vaccine is providing "good levels" of protection from the first dose.

It was recently revealed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine could prevent infection and protect people from getting sick, according to an unpublished study, in what could boost the drug's potential as a tool for fighting the pandemic.