A teenager receives a vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 24, 2021. REUTERS / Ronen Zvulun
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has registered eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and believes the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said on Tuesday.
An initial seven cases of the Indian variant were detected in Israel last week among people arriving from abroad and which have since been tentatively tested, the Ministry of Health said.
“The impression is that the Pfizer vaccine is effective against it, although it has a reduced effectiveness,” the ministry’s director general, Hezi Levy, told Kan radio, saying that the number of cases of the variant in Israel is now up. eight stands.
The ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for more details on the investigation into the Indian variant.
The new variant, designated B.1.617, was reported by India’s Ministry of Health (https://bit.ly/3tzfy0p) in late March. It contains an E484K mutation associated with immune flight by other variants, and another mutation known as L425R, which may increase its transmissibility.
Britain and Ireland also said they were investigating the variant after locating it within their borders.
Israel, with 9.3 million inhabitants, vaccinated about 81% of its citizens or residents over the age of 16. COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are declining sharply.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.