JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The first major actual study of the independently reviewed Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine shows that the shot is very effective in preventing COVID-19, at a potentially important moment for countries desperate to close end and reopen economies.
So far, most data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials have come under controlled conditions, leaving an element of uncertainty about how the real-world results would translate with its unpredictable variables.
The research in Israel – two months after one of the fastest implementations in the world, which provides a rich source of data – showed that two doses of Pfizer-symptomatic COVID-19 cases were cut by 94% in all age groups, and serious diseases with almost as much.
The study of about 1.2 million people also showed that a single shot after two weeks was 57% effective in protecting against symptomatic infections, according to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
The results of the Clalit Research Institute’s study were close to those in clinical trials last year, which found that two doses were 95% effective.
“We were surprised because we expected that in the real world, where cold chain is not perfectly maintained and the population is older and sicker, you will not get as good results as in the controlled clinical trials,” said senior study. author Ran Balicer told Reuters. “But we did and the vaccine worked so well in the real world.”
“We have shown that the vaccine is just as effective in many different subgroups, in the young and in the old in those who have no co-morbidity, and in those with few co-morbidities,” he added.
The study also suggests that the vaccine, developed by US drugmaker Pfizer and German BioNTech, is effective against the coronavirus variant first identified in the UK. Researchers said they could not provide a specific level of effectiveness, but the variant was the dominant version of the virus in Israel at the time of the study.
The research did not shed light on how the Pfizer shot will fare against another variant, which currently prevails in South Africa, and which is shown to reduce the efficacy of other vaccines.
‘THIS IS MORE BIG NEWS’
Of the nine million people in Israel, a country with universal health care, nearly half have received a first dose and a third have received both doses since its onset on December 19th.
This has made the country an excellent place for an actual investigation into the vaccine’s ability to stem the pandemic, along with its advanced data capability.
The study examined approximately 600,000 vaccinated people against the same size control group of vaccinated people. Researchers from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital also collaborated.
“This is great news confirming that the vaccine is approximately 90% effective in preventing documented infections of any seriousness from 7 days after the second dose,” said Peter English, a UK government consultant in the control of communicable diseases. , said.
‘Previously recently studied papers from Israel were observational studies. This one used an experimental design, known as a case management study … which gives greater confidence that the differences between the groups are due to their vaccination status, and not to another factor. ‘
The study, published Wednesday, was the first analysis of a peer-reviewed national COVID-19 vaccination strategy. It also provides a more detailed look at how the vaccine performs weekly, while people who received the shot match individuals who have not been vaccinated, with similar medical history, gender, age, and geographic characteristics.
Other research centers in Israel, including the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Institute of Technology, have shared several studies over the past few weeks showing that the vaccine is effective.
At least three studies from Israel have also suggested that the vaccine could reduce coronavirus transmission, but the researchers warned that broader studies need to be done to draw clear conclusions.
YOU GOT YOUR IMMUNITY PASS
The latest data from the Weizmann Institute show a dramatic decline in disease – which began this month with the first age group being vaccinated, older than 60 – has now expanded to the next two groups to complete both doses.
As infections have fallen in Israel, the country has eased its third national exclusion and in the past two weeks has reopened its economy, including shopping malls, shops, schools and many workplaces.
Recreational venues such as theaters, gyms and hotels opened on Sunday but are only open to those deemed immune – holders of a “Green Pass”, a document from health services available to people only seven days after their second dose, or story of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, Tel Aviv held one of the country’s first live concerts after months of rallies banned under coronavirus restrictions.
“It’s so exciting, we’re really happy to be here today. It’s amazing after a year of staying home, it’s great to see a little bit of culture, ” said 60-year-old Gabi Shamir as she sat in the outdoor show.
However, the effectiveness of the vaccine does not mean that the country will soon be pandemic. As elsewhere in the world, a large proportion of the population is younger than 16 – about a third in Israel – which means they have not yet been vaccinated as there have been no clinical trial results for children.
“This is definitely not the end of the pandemic,” said Eran Kopel, an epidemiologist at Tel Aviv University. “Once there is a safe vaccination for children in Israel and around the world, we can begin to say that we can approach herd immunity.”
Access reporting by Rami Amichay in Tel Aviv and Kate Kelland in London; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Edited by Pravin Char