Two new Israeli studies on the effectiveness of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccines suggest that the vaccine greatly reduces virus transmission.
Both studies require additional confirmation and peer review, but the results indicate a significant reduction in the transmission of both symptomatic and asymptomatic dissemination.
The latest study, published Friday in the British medical journal The Lancet, showed an 85 percent reduction in symptomatic COVID-19 within 15 to 28 days, with an overall reduction in infections – including asymptomatic spread – by 75 percent .
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Michal Linial, professor of molecular biology and bioinformatics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the findings are a big step forward.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a 75 or 90 percent reduction – it’s a big drop in transmission,” Linial told Reuters. “This means that not only is the vaccinated individual protected, inoculation also offers protection to their surroundings.”
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Another study conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Health and Pfizer Inc. found that the vaccine reduced infection in asymptomatic cases by about 89 percent and in symptomatic cases by about 94 percent.
That study already showed promising results in late January, when researchers saw a 31 percent drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations among vaccinees, the New York Times reported.
“Vaccination is a very good tool, but it is hardly the end,” warned Eran Kopel, an epidemiologist at the University of Tel Aviv. “This is a dynamic virus that surprised the scientific world with its rapid rate of change and variety.”
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Kopel said the data from the Ministry of Health is promising, but more studies are needed.