Why are there so many vaccinated in Israel ? Because the country is sparsely populated, because the government ordered very early and paid a price: $ 56 per double dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (40% more than in the United States). The other explanation of this influx of vaccines that makes people envious, is that according to the contract made partially public on January 17, Israel committed to provide the American laboratory with rapid and detailed data on the effects of large-scale vaccination.
As of Tuesday, more than 3.1 million Israelis (34% of the population) had already received a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and very marginally of Moderna; over 1.8 million had received both injections (19.6%). A world record. And good reason for scientists around the world to scrutinize the published data.
Are these data encouraging?
Yes. In mid-January, the Israeli Ministry of Health published a first study involving a cohort of 600,000 people, a group thirty times larger than that of the phase 3 trials which preceded the authorization of the vaccine. Result? Fourteen days after the first injection, the number of infections had dropped by more than half.
More recently, on January 28, Maccabi, one of the country’s four health funds, hit the nail on the head. Out of 163,000 of its affiliates who received two doses, only 31 contracted Covid-19. That is, by comparing with an equivalent cohort of unvaccinated people, an overall efficacy of 92% of Pfizer-BioNTech. Not far from the 95% efficacy claimed in clinical trials.
And the side effects?
Almost non-existent, according to figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Health. After the first injection, 6,575 Israelis consulted for side effects, or 0.24% of the 2,768,200 vaccinated at the time of the study. They were 3,593 to do so after the second dose, or 0.26% out of 1,377,827. Of this total, only 17 cases required hospitalization …
Everything is fine ?
No doubt in terms of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for those who receive it. On the other hand, it is far too early to measure its effectiveness on the transmission of the virus, including by a vaccinated person, and on the course of the epidemic.
Despite a third of vaccinated, the epidemic is still not under control and even flames in the ultra-Orthodox community which, it is true, does not respect barrier gestures. And if the overall situation improves, it is difficult to distinguish between containment, the third in Israel, and the vaccine.
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