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The Pfizer Inc. and The BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine appears to be infecting the vast majority of recipients in Israel, which is the first indication that immunization will inhibit coronavirus transmission.
According to a copy of a draft publication posted on Twitter and confirmed by a person familiar with the work. The companies and the Israeli Ministry of Health collaborated on the preliminary observation analysis, which has not yet been judged by the peer.
The results, also reported in Der Spiegel, is the latest in a series of positive data emerges from Israel, which have yielded more Covid vaccines per capita than anywhere else in the world. Nearly half of the population had at least one dose of vaccine. Separately, Israeli authorities said on Saturday that the Pfizer BioNTech shot was 99% effective prevention of deaths due to the virus.
More than 202 million shots fired: Covid-19 Tracker
The early results of laboratory-confirmed infections are important because they show that the vaccine can also prevent asymptomatic carriers from spreading the virus that causes Covid-19, something that has not been clear so far. Stopping the transfer in this way is an important factor as countries seek to lift contact restrictions and reopen economies.
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Pfizer and BioNTech said they are working on an actual analysis of data from Israel, which will be shared once completed. Spokesmen declined to comment on unpublished data.
Four-fifths of the virus cases in Israel during the period of the study, from 17 January to 6 February, were the more transmissible strain first identified in the United Kingdom. 7 variant emerged, which fueled infections and led to a third closure on January 8th.
Until February 6, about 27% of the people elderly 15 and older in Israel were fully vaccinated, with the Pfizer BioNTech shoot being the only vaccine available in the country at the time. People are considered fully vaccinated and included in the analysis as the data collected more than 7 days after receiving their second dose.
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