Israel has not yet seen the number of infections and deaths decrease after four weeks of the world’s fastest coronavirus vaccination program – but studies suggest that the vaccine could eventually decrease the rate of contagion by up to 50 percent.
Although more than 20 percent of Israel’s population received a starting dose, infection rates are at their highest level, with more than 8,000 people testing positive each day and a record 1,102 people in the hospital with Covid-19.
But with scientists saying that vaccine protection will normally take a week or two to take effect, Israel hopes to see new hospitalizations begin to fall soon.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli health ministry official offered a ray of hope to the rest of the world by announcing initial findings that the vaccine can not only stop symptoms, but also reduce the risk of transmission.
Tests of the Pfizer / BioNTech jab showed that it was 95 percent effective in preventing people from getting sick with Covid-19 if they were infected. But the new data suggests that the vaccine may also prevent people from becoming infected.
Initial studies of data from Israel’s worldwide vaccination campaign suggest that the first dose of the vaccine could reduce infections by up to 50 percent after 14 days – raising hopes that vaccination efforts will have an even more dramatic effect.
With Israel implementing the world’s fastest vaccination program, delivering 1.9 million doses in less than four weeks, studies with hundreds of thousands of people offer perhaps the most comprehensive real-world data on vaccine effectiveness.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health department at the Ministry of Health, announced the 50 percent figure to Channel 12 news, although he warned that the results are preliminary and need to be treated with caution.
Separately, two surveys conducted by health professionals Maccabi and Calit showed that infections fell 60 percent and 33 percent, respectively, after the first dose of the vaccine.
Preliminary studies, which examined hundreds of thousands of patients, have been reported in the Israeli media, although the data behind them have not been released to the public, meaning that no explanation has been given for the discrepancy in their numbers.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has warned Israelis to remain cautious even after the first dose of the vaccine, amid concerns that they may still catch the disease.
On Tuesday, Israel saw daily Covid-19 infections and active cases reach peak levels. On Tuesday, Israel recorded 9,997 new cases – the highest in 24 hours – and 46 deaths, after recording a record 67 deaths on Monday
Israel is well ahead of other countries in its vaccination campaign, administering 23.66 doses per 100 people, as of January 14. The second highest rate was reached by the United Arab Emirates, with 14.1 per 100 people. In comparison, the UK managed 4.52 per 100 people
Initial studies of data from Israel’s vaccination campaign suggest that the first dose of Pfizer Jab inhibits coronavirus infections by up to 50 percent after 14 days. In the photo: a woman is vaccinated against the coronavirus COVID-19 in the Golan Heights attached to Israel
Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the public health department at the Ministry of Health, emphasized to Israel’s Channel 12 that the research was preliminary and highlighted the need for caution – even among those who received the first dose of the jab.
Alroy-Preis noted that the data were not sufficient to conclude that the vaccine stops transmission of Covid-19, as it is believed that a person can still spread the virus to others for a limited time if it is still located in their nasal cavity.
She added that nearly a fifth of the more than 1,000 critically ill patients with Covid-19 in the country had previously received the first dose of the vaccine.
“Seventeen percent of new serious cases today, or 180 cases, are after the first dose,” she told reporters.
On Tuesday, Israel saw daily Covid-19 infections and active cases reach peak levels, and despite optimistic signs, the country’s health minister also emphasized that extreme caution is still needed.
The vaccine is expected to give a person 95% immunity against Covid-19 one week after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. The launch of the second dose in Israel is scheduled to begin this week, according to The Times of Israel.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Yuli Edelstein, the country’s health minister, warned that there was still a risk of contracting the virus within two weeks after receiving the injection, saying the Israelis should remain vigilant.
“Those who are receiving the first injection should still be very, very cautious about their behavior, due to partial resistance to the disease,” said Edelstein.
Israel took a leap forward in the global vaccine race, squeezing the last dose of its vaccine stock and using its efficient health system to launch an immunization campaign 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with military aid. On the photo: Mass vaccination center in Tel Aviv
“In my imagination, it’s like the scene in the movie where you almost run out of danger and, at the last moment, get a bullet.”
He added: ‘It shows what we already know, which is that 95 percent full protection comes after two shots.’
The two studies carried out by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) compiled the data on nearly 400,000 patients treated (800,000 in total), with the reason behind the discrepancy (60 percent and 33 percent) currently unclear.
The Clalit study compared the test results of a group of 200,000 people who received the vaccine with a sample of 200,000 Israelis who did not receive the vaccine.
The full results of the study have not yet been released or peer-reviewed.
Israel’s vaccination program is the fastest in the world so far and has administered the vaccine to more than two million people – about 20% of its population.
The program runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even on the Jewish Sabbath celebration day, and is being driven by hundreds of Israeli combat doctors who have been selected for the service.
Given that Pfizer’s phase 3 tests verified only 40,000 people, data from Israel’s vaccination campaign may offer some of the best indicators of the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines.
The Times of Israel reports that the last number given by officials was 1,910,330 – although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a ceremonial event celebrating the 2 million vaccine on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the anti-coronavirus vaccination center in the Arab city of Nazareth, in northern Israel, on January 13, 2021
Israel has reported a total of 520,060 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, with 3,817 related deaths.
On Tuesday, Israel recorded 9,997 new cases – the highest in 24 hours – and 46 deaths, after recording a record 67 deaths on Monday.
Like many countries, Israel is experiencing a second wave of the virus in the winter, after the rate of new infections and related deaths dropped in November.
On January 5, the government announced a complete two-week national blockade, effective from January 7. The blockade is expected to expire at the end of the month, but it will almost certainly be extended as new cases and deaths continue to increase.