Study on third dose of Pfizer vaccine indicates that it is effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 | Health | Magazine

Responsible for this work is the Israeli Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University.

EFE

October 29, 2021 – 7:56 pm

–

A study published in The Lancet magazine indicates that a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is effective in reducing severe outcomes related to COVID-19, compared to those individuals who have received two doses of the preparation for at least five months before.

The person responsible for this work is the Israeli Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University (United States), who have examined the effectiveness of this third dose in particular against the delta variant.

The study was carried out between July 30 and September 23, 2021, coinciding with the fourth wave of coronavirus infections and diseases in Israel, during which the delta variant (B.1.617.2) was the dominant one in the country for new infections (with very few exceptions), Clalit reports in a note.

The researchers reviewed data from 728,321 individuals 12 years and older who had received the third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer). These were matched with 728,321 other individuals who had received only two injections of the preparation at least five months earlier.

For the comparison, a broad set of demographic, geographic and health characteristics associated with the risk of infection, the risk of serious disease, the state of health and the health-seeking behavior were taken into account.

The results show that, compared to individuals who received only two doses five months earlier, those who received three doses of the vaccine (7 days or more after the third dose) had a 93% lower risk of hospitalization related to the disease. covid-19.

92% lower risk of serious illness and 81% lower risk of death.

It was found that the effectiveness of the vaccine was similar for the different sexes, age groups (40-69 years and more than 70) and number of comorbidities.

The study also included a population-level analysis that found that infection rates began to decline for each age group between 7 and 10 days after that age group was eligible for the third dose.

“The results convincingly show that the third dose is highly effective against severe COVID-19-related outcomes in different age groups and population subgroups, one week after the third dose,” says Ran Balicer, lead author of the study.

According to the researcher, “these data should facilitate informed political decision-making.”

–