A teenager receives a vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 24, 2021. REUTERS / Ronen Zvulun
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has reported eight cases of a variant of the coronavirus first identified in India and believes the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said on Tuesday.
Last week, seven initial cases of the Indian variant in Israel were detected among people arriving from abroad and who have since undergone preliminary tests, the Ministry of Health said.
“The impression is that the Pfizer vaccine has an efficacy against it, albeit a reduced efficacy,” ministry director general Hezi Levy told Kan public radio, saying the number of cases of the variant in Israel it now stood at eight.
The ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for more details on the Indian variant investigation.
The new variant, named B.1.617, was reported by the Indian Ministry of Health in late March (https://bit.ly/3tzfy0p). It contains an E484K mutation, which has been associated with immune leakage by other variants, and another mutation known as L425R, which can increase its transmissibility.
Britain and Ireland have also said they are investigating the variant after detecting it within their borders.
Israel, with a population of 9.3 million, has completely vaccinated about 81% of citizens or residents over the age of 16. COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations fall sharply.
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