A new serological study conducted at an Israeli hospital found that 98 percent of hospital employees who received the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine developed a high level of antibodies to fight the virus.
The Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, just outside Tel Aviv, released the results of the study on its website on Monday.
The study of 102 samples, collected a week after Israel began to administer the second dose – when the vaccine is expected to reach peak efficacy – showed that most people vaccinated had higher antibody counts than those who recovered from the COVID-19.
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The hospital said that a week after receiving the final dose, the antibodies jumped to a level six to 20 times higher than after the first injection.
Two employees developed only low levels of antibodies, the tests showed, one of which was known to have a weakened immune system.
Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit in Sheba, said the initial results indicated that vaccinated people were probably not carriers or infectious – an issue that scientists have so far not determined – since levels of antibodies were high enough to suppress any virus particles.
“This means that the vaccine works wonderfully,” said Regev-Yochay.
The results “are in line with Pfizer’s tests and go beyond expectations [results]. I hope the tests for the rest of the participating employees will be similar, ”she said. “There are definitely reasons for optimism.”
A medical worker prepares an injection of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jerusalem on January 13, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
The Pfizer vaccine, developed with the German partner BioNTech, has received emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Union regulatory agency and is believed to provide up to 95% protection against COVID-19. But much remains unknown, including its long-term protection.
Israel is leading the world per capita in vaccinations, even as the country remains confined to contain the rise in infections.
As of Monday morning, 2,116,291 citizens received their first injection of the Pfizer vaccine, while 309,450 received both doses, according to data from the Ministry of Health. In an increase over previous days, more than 150,000 people received an injection on Sunday.
The government struck a deal with Pfizer promising to share a vast collection of medical data about Israel’s vaccination campaign in exchange for more doses of the vaccine.
Supporters say the deal could allow Israel to become the first country to vaccinate most of its population, while providing valuable research that can help the rest of the world.
But critics say the deal raises major ethical concerns, including possible breaches of privacy and a deepening of the global divide that allows wealthy countries to stockpile vaccines as the poorest populations have to wait longer to be inoculated.
The Ministry of Health said on Monday that the percentage of positive coronavirus tests confirmed the previous day was 9.1%, the highest level in more than two months, before an expected extension of the national blockade, which was scheduled to expire on Thursday.
Early morning test results returned on Monday showed that the positive rate rose further to 9.4%. The last time the positive test rate was so high was on October 6, when it reached just over 10%.
There are 80,620 cases of active viruses in Israel and 552,415 infections since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 4,000 Israelis died from COVID-19, including about 1,000 people in the past month alone.
Ministers are considering a ban on all non-urgent travel from Israel and stricter quarantine rules for returning travelers.