The Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine against Covid-19 has been available in France since December 2020. Administered in two doses (with a delay of 3 to 7 weeks), the Comirnaty® vaccine has been deemed safe and effective by health authorities to prevent severe forms of Covid-19.
However, one question remains: how long does the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine protect against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus? In a study published this Tuesday, October 5, 2021 in the specialized journal The Lancetthe Pfizer laboratory and the American health network Kaiser Permanente tried to answer it.
The Pfizer vaccine reduces the risk of being hospitalized in the event of Covid-19 by 90%
Scientists studied medical data from 3.4 million people living in California; this data was collected between December 4, 2020 and August 8, 2021. They found that the Comirnaty® vaccine provided 88% protection against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus within one month of the second injection, and that this protection fell to 47% six months later.
The researchers nevertheless add that the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization for Covid-19 by 90% for (at least) 6 months, including in the event of infection with the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Despite these rather encouraging figures, the prospect a 3rd dose of vaccine gradually seems to be confirmed: this Monday, October 4, 2021, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that “booster doses of Comirnaty may be considered for people aged 18 and over, at least six months after the second dose“.
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