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The head of Israel’s coronavirus warned that the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine appears “less effective” than expected.
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This may worry the United Kingdom and the USA, which prioritize the first generalized doses.
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Israel vaccinated a larger portion of its population than any other country.
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The Israeli official who led the country’s response to the coronavirus warned that the country is having a less than expected effect after giving a dose of the vaccine.
The country had the fastest vaccine launch in the world and, on January 19, gave the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to 25.6% of its population, according to Our world in data.
But a note of caution came from Nachman Ash, Israel’s coronavirus commissioner, who told Israeli Army Radio that a single dose appeared to be “less effective than we thought”, according to The Guardian.
The vaccine is designed to come in two injections, with the second dose administered three weeks after the first in clinical trials. That is how Israel is distributing the vaccine.
But the strategy raises concerns for the United Kingdom, which is prioritizing giving people the first dose of the vaccine.
This means delaying second doses by up to 12 weeks, so that as many people as possible can receive the first dose. The hope is that partial immunity among many people will be better than total immunity for fewer people.
It can also bring concerns to the US, where new President Joe Biden plans to release all available vaccine doses to maximize the number of people receiving vaccines, which can result in delays in second doses, although the US plan is applicable. them all schedule.
Pfizer says that a single dose of its vaccine is about 52% effective, while a second dose makes it about 95% effective.
According to Israel, the single dose appears to be only about 33% effective, a significant loss.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s top scientific adviser, told Sky News UK that he will “look very carefully” at the level of protection people are getting.
He did not say that the UK should change its strategy, but that the government “would only need to keep measuring the numbers” as the vaccine was given to people.
UK scientists said in December that clinical trial data suggested that the Pfizer vaccine would be 89% effective about 10 days after a dose.
Vallance said this week that the real-world effectiveness rate has always been expected to be less than that, but that he doesn’t think it will be “as low” as what Israel reported.
It is believed that the first dose of the vaccine does not offer any protection until about 10 days after the vaccine is administered, and including those days when trying to discover the effectiveness of the first dose would decrease the numbers.
It is important to note that the UK is not just using the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. He is also using the AstraZeneca / Oxford University vaccine, where studies suggest that a dose gap could actually provide more protection.
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