As a boost for the battle of COVID-19, the Pfizer vaccine was 94% effective in the real world

Jerusalem closures and reopen economies.

To date, most data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines had been subjected to controlled conditions in clinical trials, leaving an element of uncertainty about how the results would be translated into the real world with their variables. unpredictable.

Research in Israel, two months into one of the fastest launches in the world, which provides a rich source of data, showed that two doses of symptomatic COVID-19 cases from Pfizer were reduced by 94% in all age groups and almost the same amount of serious illness. .

The study of about 1.2 million people also showed that a single shot was 57% effective in protecting against symptomatic infections after two weeks, according to data published and peer-reviewed in the New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday.

The results of the study for the Clalit Research Institute were close to those of last year’s clinical trials, where two doses were found to be 95% effective.

“We were surprised because we expected that in the real world, where the cold chain is not maintained perfectly and the population is older and sicker, you will not get the good results you get in controlled clinical trials,” the study said. senior author Ran Balicer told Reuters. “But we did and the vaccine also worked in the real world.”

“We have shown that the vaccine is so effective in very different subgroups, in the young and the old in those without comorbidities and in those with few comorbidities,” he added.

The study also suggests that the vaccine, developed by US drug manufacturer Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, is effective against the coronavirus variant first identified in the UK. The researchers said they could not provide a specific level of efficacy, but the variant was the dominant version of the virus in Israel at the time of the study.

The investigation did not shed light on how Pfizer’s shot will turn out against another variant, now dominant in South Africa, which has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of other vaccines.

“THIS IS BIGGEST NEWS”

Of the nine million people in Israel, a nation with universal health care, nearly half have received a first dose and a third have received both doses since the launch began on December 19th.

This made the country a prime location for a real-world study of the vaccine’s ability to curb the pandemic, along with its advanced data capabilities.

The study examined about 600,000 vaccinated people against the control group of the same size as unvaccinated people. Researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital also collaborated.

“This is great news, confirming that the vaccine is about 90% effective in preventing documented infection of any severity from 7 days after the second dose,” said Peter English, a consultant to the British government in control of communicable diseases.

“Previous recent studies of Israel were observational studies. He used an experimental design known as a case – control study … giving more confidence that the differences between the groups were due to their vaccination status and not to some other factor. “

The study published on Wednesday was the first analysis of a national vaccination strategy against COVID-19 that was reviewed in pairs. A more detailed view of how the vaccine went at weekly intervals was also provided, while people who received the vaccine were related to unvaccinated individuals with similar medical history, sex, age, and geographic characteristics.

Other research centers in Israel, such as the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Institute of Technology, have shared several studies in recent weeks that show the vaccine is effective.

At least three studies in Israel have also suggested that the vaccine may reduce coronavirus transmission, but researchers have warned that more extensive studies are needed to draw clear conclusions.

DO YOU GET YOUR IMMUNITY STEP?

The latest data from the Weizmann Institute show a drastic drop in the disease – which began this month with the first vaccinated age group, those over 60 – which has now spread to the next two groups for completion. the doses.

As infections have fallen in Israel, the country has reduced its third national blockade and reopened areas of its economy, including shopping malls, shops, schools and many jobs in the past two weeks.

Recreational spaces, such as theaters, gyms and hotels, opened on Sunday, but are only open to those who consider themselves immune, who possess a “Green Pass,” a health ministry document that can only be downloaded by people for seven days. after the second dose or recovered from COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Tel Aviv held one of the country’s first live concerts after months of banning meetings under coronavirus restrictions.

“It’s very exciting, we are very happy to be here today. It’s amazing after a year at home, it’s great to go out and see some culture, ”said Gabi Shamir, 60, as he sat at the outdoor show.

However, the effectiveness of the vaccine does not mean that the country will be free of pandemic soon. Like anywhere else in the world, a large proportion of the population is under the age of 16, about a third in Israel, which means they still cannot be vaccinated, as there have been no results of clinical trials in children.

“This is definitely not the end of the pandemic,” said Eran Kopel, an epidemiologist at Tel Aviv University. “Once there is a safe vaccine for children in Israel and around the world, we can begin to say that we could be getting closer to the herd’s immunity.”