According to the results of the largest real-life study carried out in Israel, the Pfizer vaccine is indeed 95% effective against Covid-19, even against the English variant. The researchers show, however, that protection levels drop markedly when individuals receive only one of the two doses.
The largest real-life study ever
Last March, a study by Pfizer and the Israeli Ministry of Health demonstrated that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is 97% effective against symptomatic cases and severe forms of Covid-19. This Wednesday, May 5, a published version of the study and reviewed by other independent scientists confirms the results. This is the largest real-life study ever. Published yesterday in the medical journal The Lancet, the experiment carried out in Israel shows that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is indeed more than 95% effective against Covid-19.
According to the authors of the study, the results highlight “ the public health benefits of a national vaccination program “. According to them, vaccination in Israel “ has been the main driver of the decline in Covid-19 infections “. However, the authors of the study point out that these conclusions should not be generalized because the speed of vaccination programs and the evolution of the pandemic differ from country to country.
Greater efficacy after the second dose of vacccin
The study based on data from people vaccinated in Israel took place between January 24 and April 3, when 72% of those over 16 and 90% of those over 65 in Israel received their two doses. Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. In a press release, Pfizer / BioNTech Laboratories and the Israeli Ministry of Health stated that “ the results represent the most comprehensive concrete evidence to date demonstrating the efficacy of a vaccine against Covid-19 “.
Indeed, the results show that the vaccine is “ highly efficient »In those over 16 years of age seven days after the second dose. It protects 95.3% against infections, 97.2% against hospitalizations and 96.7% against death. On the other hand, the study reveals that the effectiveness of the vaccine decreases when individuals receive only one of the two doses with an effectiveness rate of 57.7% against infection, 75.7% against hospitalizations and 77% against deaths among those over 16.
The Pfizer vaccine effective against the English variant
In view of the results, the authors believe that the study “ shows the importance of a full vaccination (with two doses) in adults “. And for good reason, a single dose would offer less protection, especially with the emergence of more resistant variants. Regarding variants, the study focused on the efficacy of the vaccine against the English variant (called B.1.1.7), which is dominant in the country.
During the analysis, 232,268 confirmed infections in Israel were identified. Among them, nearly 95% of the samples tested were from the English variant. This underlines the effectiveness of the vaccine against this variant. On the other hand, the researchers specify that the data did not make it possible to study the effectiveness of the vaccine against the South African variant, also in circulation in the country.
