Covid-19: a vaccine that is as good in the "real world" as it is in the trial in Israel

 Covid-19: a vaccine that is as good in the "real world" as it is in the trial in Israel

More data from the Israeli vaccination program indicates that the Pfizer injection prevents 94% of symptomatic infections.

This indicates that the vaccine is performing as well in a larger population as it did in clinical trials.

It has been shown to be very effective in preventing disease and severe illnesses among all age groups, according to Public Health Physician Professor Hagai Levin.

He said that "high vaccination coverage for the most vulnerable groups" was essential.

The Clalit Fund, the largest health fund in Israel, tested positive for 600,000 vaccinated people and the same number of unvaccinated people, matching their age and health status.

94% found fewer infections among the vaccinated group.

This was based on test results in people's medical records, and it is usually taken if they develop symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

The vaccine prevented nearly all cases of serious illness.

This pattern was the same across all age groups - including those over the age of 70, who may be underrepresented in clinical trials.

The data has not been officially released yet.

      But Professor Levine said that this "sends a message to other countries like the United Kingdom" about the benefit of the vaccine, and the need to get "very high" coverage for groups most likely to become severely ill from the virus.

He said he could not put a figure on the percentage of the population that would need to be vaccinated before restrictions are eased.

"We still don't know what the impact of transmission is," he said.

But we can say, at least, "The vaccine is good for personal protection," he added.

Professor Eran Segal, who analyzes data from the Israeli Ministry of Health, suggested that Israel had to vaccinate 80% of those over the age of 60 before its effect on Covid-19 cases was known.

Israel is the first country in the world to see the impact of its vaccination program, but it took massive population coverage and several weeks to reach this milestone.

Larger falls were seen in people over 60 who were vaccinated first and in cities whose residents vaccinated earlier - patterns not seen in previous lockdowns. This provides strong evidence that it was the vaccine, not just the lockdown, which led to a drop in cases.

But Professor Segal warned that the fall happened more slowly than expected, possibly due to the influence of the British variant, which had become the dominant dynasty in Israel.

He warned that even with the "extremely rapid pace" of the Israeli vaccination program, there are still tens of thousands of people unprotected and could become seriously ill if infected.

"We still have to get out of our lockdown very carefully," he said, otherwise we would risk hospitalizing large numbers of people.

Israel is experiencing a major wave of infections and continues to be subject to strict measures - but with everyone over the age of 16 entitled to receive the vaccine, we hope at least the education system will reopen as well.

The country has also met with criticism over questions about who should provide vaccines to the Palestinian territories.

Israel has just begun transferring some doses to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, so that vaccinations for frontline health workers can begin.

Meanwhile, it gave the full two doses to a quarter of its resident population.