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[Jerusalén, 10 de Reuters]-The rapid inoculation by Israel of Pfizer’s new coronavirus vaccine has made it the largest real-world testing site for research on this vaccine. The results are coming out little by little. The content is promising.
More than half of Israel’s potential population, or about 3.5 million, has so far received the first or second dose of a double-dose Pfizer vaccine. There is a drastic reduction in the appearance in the elderly with priority and in those at high risk.
According to Elan Segal, a data scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, 53% of new infections, 39% of hospitalizations and serious illnesses between mid-January and February 6 in the group that completed the second vaccination, the conversion decreased by 31%.
In people younger than 60 who got vaccinated late, new infections decreased by 20% over the same period. However, hospitalization increased by 15% and aggravation increased by 29%.
What do the new Israeli vaccination data show? Reuters interviewed top national and foreign scientists, the country’s public health officials, hospital administrators, and two of the nation’s largest healthcare service providers for their views.
One of the notable points of vaccination in the country is the effectiveness of the vaccine in uncontrolled clinical trials and at what point governments are pursuing, but not readily available, herd immunity. Provides a database that can be used as a base. to consider whether or not it is possible.
You’ll discover more in the next two weeks. The research team will look at the effectiveness of the vaccine in selected populations, including younger people, people with diabetes and cancer, and pregnant women. The number of data available in these patients will be at least 10 times greater than in clinical trials.
“We need a well-diversified and fragmented group and enough observation and analysis time to reach the correct conclusions,” said Lan Barriser, a healthcare provider who covers more than half of Israel’s population. He’s reaching that same stage. “
Pfizer also looks at Israeli vaccines weekly and hopes this will be useful around the world. Israel is a country with a small population, a universal health insurance system, the ability to collect advanced data, and the promise of rapid vaccine deployment, making it ideal for Pfizer research.
However, the company says it remains difficult to accurately predict when the acquisition of herd immunity will begin to become apparent. This is because there are many important variable factors, such as how to take interpersonal distance and the so-called reproduction number of infections.
Even in Israel, which is at the forefront of the world with the spread of the new corona vaccination, the number of infections has risen significantly and expectations for an early exit from the corona epidemic are low. The country has taken a third stringent movement restriction measure nationwide, but is struggling to control the spread of the infection. This is mainly due to the rapid spread of British mutant viruses.
However, the vaccine that Pfizer jointly developed with Germany’s Biontech is also believed to be effective for the British version. “So far we have found that the effectiveness against the British type is no different from 90-95%,” said Heji Levi, director of the Israeli Ministry of Health. However, it has only been a week since the second vaccination started, so it is still too early to make a decision. Regarding the South African mutant, “I can’t say anything at this point,” he said.
Israel paid a higher price than other countries to buy the Pfizer vaccine and began vaccination on December 19 last year. Four days later, four British-type infected individuals were found, supposedly highly contagious. The vaccine prevents the onset of the disease in the elderly, while mutant strains of the virus currently account for around 80% of new infections in the country.
Israel has begun vaccination for people over 60, as vaccination and mutant epidemics compete for speed. In addition, the inoculation plans for the remaining layers have started in stages. Inoculations are monitored and electronically recorded on a case-by-case basis. It also covers which arm the person was hit on and which bottle the vaccine was drawn from.
According to Makabi, a major healthcare provider in the country, 254 out of 416,900 people were infected, as a result of an examination one week after the second vaccination. Efficacy was 91% compared to the unvaccinated group. Twenty-two days after the second vaccination, the number of infected people was zero.
Israeli experts are convinced that vaccination reduces the number of infected people more than restrictions, based on studies from various cities and age groups and analysis of mobility restrictions prior to vaccination. “As a result of comparative studies, we are confident that the reduction in infections is due to the effects of the vaccine,” said Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Sciences.
As 80% of older people complete their first or second vaccination, more comprehensive studies could begin to be published starting this week. “We expect the total number of infected and seriously ill to decline further,” Clarit’s Barriser said.
There may be early signs that the corona vaccine not only suppresses the onset, but also suppresses viral infections.
A follow-up study from Israel’s largest coronavirus testing center, led by My Heritage, shows that the amount of viruses “carried” by infected people in the most inoculated age groups has decreased significantly. According to Janib Erlich, director of the center, it is less likely to be transmitted to others if it becomes infected after being vaccinated.
“These data are probably the clearest yet, and vaccination is believed to reduce the chances of further transmission to other people,” said Stephen Baral of Johns Hopkins University.
It is not clear whether Israel will continue to be one of the fastest vaccination steps in the world.
Boaz Lev, an advisory council to the Ministry of Health, said: “Even if you proceed with vaccination quickly and on a large scale, it will end up in a group that is unwilling to receive the vaccine or is having difficulty obtaining vaccination opportunities.” .
However, with the rapid spread of infection with UK-derived mutant strains, acceleration of inoculation is becoming increasingly important. Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Sciences said that if the British-style rapid spread and speed vaccination competition were held, the result would be “a situation in which the number of seriously ill people remains high.” I expected it.
The big question is whether the vaccine can eradicate the new corona epidemic.
According to Hebrew University professor Mycal Linearl, data from past decades suggests that the virus may become endemic, endemic, or endemic in certain seasons. Aggression can be significantly reduced in the case of the new crown, but this requires a revaccination every three years. “The new coronavirus itself will not disappear,” he concludes.
(Reporter for Maayan Lubell, Reporter for Ari Rabinovitch)
