Pfizer vaccine is 92 per cent effective, say Israeli researchers after ‘world’s largest study’  

A woman receives a vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a temporary Clalit healthcare maintenance organisation (HMO) centre, at a basketball court in Petah Tikva

Credit: Reuters/Reuters

A major new study by Israeli scientists has reportedly found that the Pfizer vaccine is at least 92 per cent effective, after comparing large samples of vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens.

According to Maccabi, an Israeli healthcare provider, only 31 out of 163,000 Israelis developed coronavirus once the Pfizer vaccine had fully taken effect.

“This is very, very good news,” Anat Ekka Zohar, Maccabi’s lead vaccines analyst, told the Times of Israel.  “It is the first study in the world that looks at such a large number of fully vaccinated patients.”

A control sample of the same size, with unvaccinated Israelis, found that more than 6,437 people caught the disease during the same timeframe.

A similar study by Maccabi released earlier this week also reported a substantially high rate of protection after the second jab.

“It’s a very high level of efficiency and we are seeing a very low percentage of coronavirus among the patients who have taken both shots,” Ms Ekka Zohar said, referring to the latest data.

Israel, the world’s fastest vaccinator against Covid, has already given the first of two jabs to nearly a third of its population.

Patients with underlying health conditions and the over-35s are taking priority, but this week 16 to 18-year-olds have also been included so they can sit important winter exams.

Israel has also reportedly given a small number of doses to young children with severe health conditions.

A woman receives a vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a temporary Clalit healthcare maintenance organisation (HMO) centre, at a basketball court in Petah Tikva

Credit: Reuters/Reuters

The Jewish state’s success has been partially attributed to a deal struck with Pfizer which secured millions of vaccines in return for regular updates on the effectiveness of the jabs.

Israel’s healthcare system, which consists of four competing Healthcare Maintenance Organisations [HMOs], has also received credit for the frenetic pace of inoculations.

The HMOs have been sending text alerts to eligible patients since late December and then following up with a phone call from a multilingual call centre if they do not receive a response. Israelis can also book an appointment online using a mobile phone app.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has warned that the emergence of vaccine-resistant strains of coronavirus is inevitable and that the world will need to adapt quickly.

"It’s just a matter of time until we hit a strain that the current vaccines are not susceptible to,” he said in a speech at the World Economic Forum.

Israel is currently in its third nationwide lockdown and this week sealed off its land and air borders to all citizens and foreigners, as it grapples with a surge in new cases linked to the UK strain of coronavirus.

According to Channel 13, an Israeli broadcaster, a travel corridor between Israel and the United Arab Emirates may also have played a role in the large number of new infections.