Israel warns that single dose of Pfizer vaccine is ‘less effective than hoped’ against COVID-19, and it could be a blow to US and UK strategies

• Israel’s coronavirus chief has warned that the first dose of Pfizer vaccine appears “less effective” than expected.

• This may worry the UK and US, which prioritize first generalized doses.

• Israel has vaccinated more of its population than any other country.

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The Israeli official leading the country’s coronavirus response warned that he was seeing a smaller effect than he hoped after giving a dose of the vaccine.

The country had the fastest vaccine deployment in the world and, on Jan. 19, had administered a first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to 25.6% of its population, according to Our World in Data.

But a warning came from Nachman Ash, the Israeli coronavirus commissioner, who told IDF Radio that a single dose appeared to be “less effective than previously thought,” according to The Guardian.

The vaccine is designed to be given as two injections, with the second dose being given three weeks after the first of the clinical trials. This is how Israel distributes the vaccine.

But the strategy raises concerns for the UK, which is prioritizing the first dose of the vaccine.

This means delaying the second dose for up to 12 weeks so that as many people as possible can get their first dose. The hope is that partial immunity in many people is better than more complete immunity in fewer people.

And it could also raise concerns for the United States, where new President Joe Biden plans to release all available vaccine doses to maximize the number of people receiving vaccines, which could lead to delays in second doses even if the American plan is to administer them all. program.

Pfizer says that a single dose of its vaccine is about 52% effective, while a second dose makes it about 95% effective.

According to Israel, the single dose only seems to be effective at around 33%, a significant loss.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, told Sky News in the UK that he would look “very carefully” at the level of protection people enjoy.

The story continues

He did not say that the UK should change its strategy, but that the government “just needs to keep measuring the numbers” as the vaccine is given to people.

British scientists had said in December that clinical trial data suggested the Pfizer vaccine would be 89% effective around 10 days after a dose.

Vallance said this week that the real-world efficiency rate should always be lower than that, but that he doesn’t think it will be “as low” as what Israel has reported.

The first dose of the vaccine is not thought to offer protection until about 10 days after receiving the vaccine, and including those days when trying to determine the effectiveness of the first dose would cause the numbers to drop.

It is important to note that the UK does not only use the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. He also uses the AstraZeneca / University of Oxford vaccine, where studies suggest that dose spacing may actually offer more protection.

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