Coronavirus: Israeli data supports the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine – Maccabi

Less than 0.01% of people who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine contracted the virus more than a week after receiving the second dose, a leading Israeli health provider said on Monday. Preliminary results shared by Israeli HMO Maccabi showed that only 20 people out of the 128,600 who received the two vaccines, have since been infected with the COVID-19 virus. Israel is a world leader with its rapid launch of vaccines, although the data also appears during a national blockade that has helped to contain contagion. The Israelis began receiving the first vaccines from Pfizer on December 19. The country is providing Pfizer with weekly updates of data on its vaccine campaign under a collaboration agreement that can help other countries adjust their own vaccination initiatives. “According to Maccabi experts, preliminary data, but the numbers are very encouraging,” Maccabi said in a statement. “Maccabi reports that, of the 20 infected people, 50% suffer from chronic diseases. All patients had a mild illness with symptoms that include headaches, cough, weakness or fatigue. No one has been hospitalized or has had a fever above 38.5 ° C. Most patients have tested COVID-19 due to exposure to a verified patient, “said Annat Ekka Zohar, director of the Maccabi Information and Digital Health Division, said “o The fact that infected patients come from different profiles is consistent with Pfizer’s test results.”

“We will monitor these patients closely to see if they continue to suffer only from mild symptoms and do not develop complications as a result of the virus,” she said. More than 2.6 million Israelis received a single dose of the vaccine and about 1.2 million received both vaccines, out of a population of about 9 million. Israel reported about 600,000 virus infections and 4,478 deaths during the pandemic.