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The Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by BioNTech and Pfizer has been very effective in preventing infection in Israel, according to the first real-world data showing that vaccination stops transmission of the virus.
Results compiled by Israel’s Ministry of Health, and seen by the Financial Times, showed that the vaccine was 89 percent effective in preventing infections of any kind and 94 percent effective against symptomatic infections.
The new data, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, provides the first real-world demonstration of the vaccine’s effectiveness and offers hope that those immunized will also help stop the spread of infection.
The initial clinical trial by BioNTech and Pfizer found that the vaccine was 95 percent effective in preventing disease, but the real-world data provides more information.
The study was conducted in the three weeks to February 6, during which the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine was the only available injection in Israel. At the end of that period, more than 27 percent of all people over the age of 15 in the country were fully vaccinated.
Among those hospitalized in serious or critical condition during the study, 4.4 percent had received both injections and 5.7 percent of those who died from the disease were fully vaccinated. Overall, the vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalization and death.
During the study period, the B.1.1.7 variant first discovered in the UK was the dominant strain in Israel, found in more than 81 percent of Covid-19 test samples. As such, the results reinforce previous laboratory findings that the jab is highly effective against tension. B.1.1.7.
It comes after a laboratory study published earlier this week found the vaccine to be much less potent against 501. V2, the variant that was first discovered in South Africa.
Israel signed an agreement with Pfizer to receive more doses in exchange for studying its population, as it is vaccinated. The country has administered doses to more than 78 people per 100 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in the world, according to the FT vaccination tracker.
In a further push for the BioNTech / Pfizer injection, the companies said this week that their vaccine no longer needs to be kept at ultra-low temperatures, making it easier to distribute to medical clinics, pharmacies and more remote regions.
Stability data, which companies submit to regulators around the world, shows that the vaccine can now be kept at normal medical freezing temperatures of minus 15 ° C to minus 25 ° C for up to two weeks, in compared to previously required storage conditions of minus 60 ° C to minus 80 ° C.
