Pfizer’s vaccine provided high protection against hospitalizations and severe cases of the delta variant of the coronavirus in Israel

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine provided strong protection against hospitalizations and severe cases of COVID-19 caused by the delta variant in Israel in recent weeks, even though it was only a 39% effective in preventing infections, according to the country’s health ministry.

The vaccine, developed in collaboration with BioNTech, provided that a 88% protection against hospitalization and 91% against serious illness for an unknown number of people tested between June 20 and July 17, according to a report Thursday from the Ministry of Health.

The report notes that the data could be biased due to different ways of looking at groups of people who were vaccinated versus those who were not. Yet the data is likely to fuel the debate over whether booster shots should be given to people who have been previously vaccinated, something Pfizer has said it plans to order in the United States. Israeli authorities said earlier this month that give only a third dose to people with weakened immune systems.

Data from Israel, which gained access to vaccines earlier than most of the rest of the world, contrasts with a study from the UK. This work, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provide 88% protection against symptomatic disease caused by the delta variant and 94% against the alpha variant which was first discovered in Britain. Public Health England also previously discovered that the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine was a 96% efficient against hospitalization.

Pfizer and BioNTech Trust in Two-Dose Vaccine Protection and SafetyPfizer said in a statement Friday. BioNTech is conducting an ongoing review of vaccine study data, a spokesperson said.

The analysis of the clinical trial carried out by companies with more than 43,000 people show that efficacy against symptomatic infection declines over time, from 95% in the first two months to the low or mid range of 80% between four and six months after the second dose, Pfizer said.

The delta variant first appeared in India and is spreading around the world, so countries are rushing to vaccinate people.

Israel achieved one of the the most effective vaccination campaigns in the world, with 57% of the population fully immunized, but has seen a recent increase in infections due to the delta variant. Critical cases have also increased, but are still only a fraction of the peak at the start of the year.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called for vaccinating all those who have not yet done so, around 1.1 million people. because it is the most effective way to overcome the delta tension. The government has also reinstated some restrictions on indoor events and plans to ban flights to several countries where infection rates are rising, including the UK and Cyprus.

(With information from Bloomberg)

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