Single dose of Pfizer vaccine is 85% effective, Israeli study finds

TEL AVIV – A single injection of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE is 85% effective in preventing symptomatic illnesses 15 to 28 days after its administration, according to an Israeli study, a development that could help guide patients policy makers. vaccine priorities around the world.

Some governments are wondering whether to delay the second injection of the recommended two-dose schedule to make the most of the vaccine shortage.

The Israeli study, conducted by the government-owned Sheba Medical Center and published on Friday, also found a 75% reduction in all Covid-19 infections, symptomatic or asymptomatic, after the first stroke. The peer-reviewed study was published in the British medical journal Lancet in correspondence form, meaning it represents the point of view of the authors, not the journal.

The data used was collected on the 9,109 health workers at the center, who began their vaccination process from December 19.

“This is the first study to assess the effectiveness of a single dose of vaccine under real conditions and shows early efficacy, even before the second dose is administered,” said Prof Eyal Leshem, director of Sheba Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases and one of the study authors.