Pfizer vaccine: Israel questions effectiveness, announces infections among those vaccinated

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is back under control after an Israeli government study on its effectiveness.

According to statements by the head of the design of the strategy against the pandemic in this country, Nachman Ash, the first dose of vaccination from this company is less effective than what the American company initially indicated. And that’s not all, he also warned that it likely won’t protect against new strains of the virus.

In this way, Ash questioned the degree of effectiveness of the protection of this vaccine against Covid-19, reported the military radio Tuesday afternoon, according to the agency AJN. The Israeli government official said that many people were infected between the first and second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

“It appears that the protection offered by the first dose is less effective than we thought,” Ash noted.

More than 2 million Israelis received the first dose of Pfizer. And, as noted, to date more than 400,000 have been vaccinated with the second.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 12,400 people have tested positive for the coronavirus after receiving the vaccines. This figure includes 69 people who received the second dose.

Pfizer claims its vaccine, made with BioNTech, is about 52% effective after the first dose and increases to about 95% several days after the second dose.

Last week Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health department at the Department of Health, announced that the vaccine slows infections by 50 percent about 14 days after the first of two injections. He said the data was preliminary and was based on the results of coronavirus tests in those who received the vaccine and those who did not, which serve as a de facto control group.

However, at the same time, Israeli health-maintenance organizations released other somewhat contradictory data.

According to figures released by Clalit, Israel’s largest health care provider, the likelihood of a person being infected with the coronavirus decreased by 33% two weeks after being vaccinated.

Separate figures recorded by health care provider Maccabi showed that the vaccine resulted in a 60% lower risk of infection after receiving the first injection.

In conversations with health officials on Tuesday, Ash also said he was unsure whether the vaccine could protect against variants of the coronavirus.

With one month on from the start of Israel’s vaccination campaign, health ministry officials expected to see a decrease in daily infections and severe cases, but there is no such trend at the moment .

The most contagious variants of the virus, especially the British strain, are accused of having difficulty reducing disease rates and easing the heavy burden on hospitals, despite shutdowns and mass vaccinations.

Speaking to ministers at Tuesday’s so-called coronavirus cabinet meeting, Ash said health officials estimate the UK variant of the coronavirus causes 30-40% of current infections and will become the dominant strain in Israel. within weeks, according to Hebrew media.

The mutated strain of the virus is more infectious, although it is not considered more deadly.