Israeli research shows that the coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Pfizer not only protects vaccinated people from getting COVID-19, but also helps prevent immunized people from spreading the disease to others.
The question of whether the vaccine would help prevent those who had received it from continuing to be carriers was a key issue as inoculations were spread around the world.
A woman is inoculated against the coronavirus at a vaccination center in Jerusalem
(Photo: AFP)
Clinical research conducted by Israel’s largest health fund, Clalit, showed a significant drop in infections among 200,000 people aged 60 and over two weeks after the first vaccination. Not all of the 200,000 people involved in the investigation had received the vaccine.
Professor Ran Balicer, head of innovation at Clalit, says there is no visible effect on overall infection rates during days 5 to 12 after the first dose of two-stage vaccination is given.
According to the data, on the 13th there was a slight drop in morbidity, but on the 14th there was a 33% drop in the spread of the disease among those who were vaccinated and those who were not.
The Pfizer vaccine
(Photo: AFP)
Israel began vaccinating its population using the Pfizer vaccine on December 20, 2020. To date, the country has given the first of two shots to nearly 2 million people and has already begun administering the second dose.
This is the first evidence that the Pfizer vaccine not only prevents a person from getting COVID-19 after exposure to the coronavirus, but also prevents that exposed person from passing the virus to other people.
It is still unclear whether the first dose of vaccine reduces morbidity beyond 33%, or what percentage it would be after the second dose, but Israeli health experts believe the data show a significant decrease in the spread of the virus.
Prof. Ran Balicer, head of innovation at Clalit HMO
(Photo: Orel Cohen)
Professor Balicer said that while the results are only preliminary, they are “very encouraging”.
“It is important to note that these results do not show that there is complete protection against the disease,” he said.
“Therefore, those who have been vaccinated must be careful, wear a face mask, and obey public health orders” to protect those around them.
Balicer said experts hope to demonstrate in the coming weeks that the vaccine also helps reduce severe cases of COVID and hospitalization of infected people.