Pfizer vaccines have been found to be 94% effective in the real world to boost the fight for COVID-19

Jerusalem (Reuters)-The first large-scale real-world study of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine has been independently reviewed and is potentially groundbreaking for countries eager to end the blockade and resume the economy. At the moment, the shot shows that it is very effective in preventing COVID-19.

To date, most data on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine have been under controlled conditions in clinical trials, and there is uncertainty about how results are transformed into the real world with unpredictable variables. The element of is left.

A study in Israel (one of the fastest deployments in the world and providing a wealth of data sources) found that two doses of Pfizer Shot reduced symptomatological COVID-19 cases by 94% in all age groups. It showed that serious illnesses were reduced by about the same amount.

According to data published and peer-reviewed in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, a study of about 1.2 million people also showed that a single shot was 57% effective in protecting against symptomatological infections after two weeks. It was.

Clarit Institute’s findings are close to those of last year’s clinical trials, and two doses were found to be 95% effective.

“We expected that in a real-life environment where the cold chain is not fully maintained and the population is old and sick, we will not get as good results as those obtained in controlled clinical trials, so we I was surprised, “Senior Research Author Lan Barriser told Reuters. “But we did, and the vaccine worked in the real world as well.”

“We have shown that vaccines are in very different subgroups, young and old, with no comorbidities and with few comorbidities, and are just as effective,” he added.

The study also suggests that the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German BioNTech is effective against the first coronavirus variant identified in the United Kingdom. Researchers said they couldn’t provide a certain level of efficacy, but at the time of the study, this variant was the predominant virus in Israel.

This study did not reveal how Pfizer injections work against another variant that is currently predominant in South Africa, which has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of other vaccines. ..

“This is better news.”

Nearly half of Israel’s 9 million people with universal health insurance receive the first dose, and one-third receive both doses since the launch on December 19.

This has made the country a major place to actually study the ability of vaccines to stop pandemics and their advanced data capabilities.

The study examined approximately 600,000 vaccinated people against a control group of the same size among unvaccinated people. Researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and Boston Children’s Hospital also collaborated.

“This is better news, confirming that the vaccine is about 90% effective in preventing documented infections of any severity from 7 days after the second dose,” said the United Kingdom. Peter English, a government infectious disease management consultant, said.

“A previous recently studied treatise from Israel was an observational study. It used a design of experiments known as a case-control study … Differences between groups are not other factors, but vaccination. I became more confident that it was due to the condition of. “

The study, published Wednesday, was the first analysis of a peer-reviewed national COVID-19 vaccination strategy. We also looked at how the vaccine progressed on a weekly basis, comparing those who received the injections with unvaccinated individuals with similar medical history, gender, age, and geographic features. ..

Other Israeli research centers, including the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, have shared several studies in recent weeks showing that vaccines are effective.

At least three studies from Israel also suggest that vaccines can reduce coronavirus infection, but researchers need to carry out more extensive research to establish clear conclusions. I warn you that there is.

Did you get an immunity pass?

The latest data from the Weizmann Institute of Science show a dramatic reduction in illness-beginning this month at age 60 and above when the first age group was vaccinated-two followers who have now completed both doses. Expanding to the group of.

As infectious diseases have diminished in Israel, Israel has eased its third national blockade and has resumed economic expansion in the past two weeks, including malls, shops, schools and many workplaces.

Entertainment facilities such as theaters, gyms and hotels opened on Sundays, but are only available to those who are considered immune. The owner of the “Green Pass” is a Ministry of Health document that can be downloaded 7 days after the second dose. Recovered from COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Tel Aviv hosted one of the country’s first live concerts after several months of rallies were banned under the restrictions of the coronavirus.

“It’s very exciting. I’m really happy to be here today. It’s incredible after a year of staying at home. It’s great to see the culture,” said Gabishamir, 60. I was seated in the show.

Still, the effectiveness of the vaccine does not mean that the country will soon be released from the pandemic. Like elsewhere in the world, the majority of the population is under the age of 16, about one-third in Israel. In other words, we are not yet vaccinated because there are no clinical trial results for children.

“This is definitely not the end of the pandemic,” said Elan Koper, an epidemiologist at Tel Aviv University. “Once we have a safe vaccine for children in Israel and around the world, we can begin to say that we may be approaching herd immunity.”