Israel has yet to see its infection decline and the death toll declines after four weeks of the world’s fastest coronavirus vaccination program, but studies suggest the sting could slow the infection rate by up to 50% .
Although more than 20% of Israel’s population has received an initial dose, infection rates are high, with more than 8,000 people testing positive daily and a record 1,102 people in hospital with Covid-19 .
But with scientists saying vaccine protection will typically take a week or two to begin, Israel hopes to see new hospitalizations soon.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli health ministry official offered a glimmer of hope to the rest of the world by announcing early findings that the vaccine could not only stop symptoms, but also reduce the risk of transmission.
Pfizer / BioNTech test trials showed that it was 95% effective in preventing people from getting Covid-19 if they were infected. But new data suggests the vaccine could also prevent people from becoming infected.
Early studies of vaccine support data against Israel, which suggest the world, suggest that the first dose may slow infections by up to 50% after 14 days, suggesting that vaccination efforts will have an effect even more dramatic.
With Israel deploying the world’s fastest vaccination program, delivering 1.9 million doses in less than four weeks, studies of hundreds of thousands of people offer perhaps the most extensive real-world data on vaccine effectiveness.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health department at the Ministry of Health, announced the 50% figure in Channel 12 news, although she warned that the results are preliminary and should be treated with caution.
Separately, two investigations by medical providers Maccabi and Calit showed that infections fell by 60% and 33%, respectively, after a first dose of vaccine.
The two preliminary studies, which examined hundreds of thousands of patients, were reported in Israeli media, although the data behind them have not been released to the public, meaning that no data have been released. explanation of the discrepancy of their figures.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has warned Israelis to remain cautious even after a first dose of vaccine, amid concerns they may still catch the disease.
On Tuesday, Israel saw Covid-19 infections daily and active cases reached all-time highs. On Tuesday, Israel reported 9,997 new cases, the highest in 24 hours, and 46 deaths, after recording a record 67 deaths on Monday
Israel is well ahead of other countries in its vaccination campaign, administering 23.66 doses per 100 people on 14 January. The second highest rate was reached by the United Arab Emirates, with 14.1 per 100 people. In comparison, the UK has administered 4.52 per 100 people
Initial data studies from the Israeli Vaccination Union suggest that the first dose of Pfizer Jab slows coronavirus infections by up to 50% after 14 days. In the photo: A woman is vaccinated against the coronavirus COVID-19 in the Golan Heights, annexed to Israel
Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health department at the Ministry of Health, stressed on channel 12 of Israel that the investigation was preliminary and stressed the need for caution, even among those who have received the first dose. de jab.
Alroy-Preis noted that the data were not sufficient to conclude that the vaccine stops the transmission of Covid-19, because it is believed that a person can still spread the virus to other people for a limited time if it is still in their cavity. nasal.
He added that nearly one-fifth of the more than 1,000 serious Covid-19 patients in the country had previously received the first vaccine.
“Seventeen percent of the current serious cases, or 180 cases, are found after the first dose,” he told reporters.
On Tuesday, Israel saw daily Covid-19 infections and active cases reach temporary highs, and despite optimistic signs, the country’s health minister also stressed that extreme caution was still needed.
The vaccine is only expected to give a person 95% immunity to Covid-19 a week after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. According to The Times of Israel, the launch of the second dose in Israel will begin this week.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the country’s health minister, Yuli Edelstein, warned that there was still a risk of catching the virus within two weeks of receiving the blow, and said the Israelis must remain alert.
“Those who receive the first shot should be very, very cautious about their behavior, because of the partial resistance to the disease,” Edelstein said.
Israel has advanced the global vaccine race by taking out the last dose of vaccine supplies and using its efficient health system to launch a vaccination campaign 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with military aid. Pictured: Mass Aviation Vaccination Center in Tel Aviv
“In my imagination, it’s like the scene in the movie where he almost escapes danger and, at the last moment, catches a bullet.”
He added: “It shows what we already knew, which is that full 95% protection comes after two shots.”
The two studies conducted by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) collected data from about 400,000 patients they treated (800,000 in total), with the reason for the discrepancy (60% and 33%) currently unclear.
The Clalit study compared the test results of a group of 200,000 people who had been given the vaccine with a sample of 200,000 Israelis who had not received the sting.
The full results of the study have not yet been published or peer-reviewed.
The Israeli vaccination program is so far the fastest in the world and has given the vaccine to more than two million people, about 20 percent of its population.
The program runs 24 hours a day, even on the Jewish day of Shabbat, and is being run by hundreds of Israeli combat doctors who have been killed for their service.
Since Pfizer’s Phase 3 trials only tested 40,000 people, data from the Israeli vaccination campaign could provide some of the best indicators of the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines.
The Times of Israel reports that the latest number given by officials was 1,910,330, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a ceremonial ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the 2 million vaccine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits coronavirus vaccination center in the Israeli Arab city of Nazareth on January 13, 2021
Israel has reported a total of 520,060 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, with 3,817 related deaths.
On Tuesday, Israel reported 9,997 new cases, the highest in 24 hours, and 46 deaths, after recording a record 67 deaths on Monday.
Like many countries, Israel faces a second wave of the virus in the winter after the rate of new infections and related deaths fell during November.
On January 5, the government announced a full two-week national closure, beginning on January 7th. The blockade will expire at the end of the month, but it is almost certain to widen as cases and deaths continue to rise.