A senior health official said on Saturday that there were preliminary indications that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective in protecting against the South African variant.
“We still have no evidence that any of the variants is completely resistant to the vaccine, but there is some preliminary evidence to say that the vaccine’s effectiveness may be slightly less against the South African variant,” Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, chief of public health services from the Ministry of Health, Kan told public broadcaster.
“Here in Israel, we are doing tests and trying to verify your [the vaccine’s] effectiveness against “the South African variant,” she added.
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Pfizer and BioNTech, whose vaccine is being used in Israel’s world-leading vaccination campaign, said on Thursday that early tests suggest that their immunization would be protective against South Africa and Britain variants.
Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis. (Courtesy)
The study found that the antibodies were able to neutralize all the sets of mutations tested. He noted that the effect was “slightly less” against three mutations in the variant found in South Africa, including E484K. But the companies said it was “unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness”.
The Ministry of Health confirmed last week that three more cases of the South African coronavirus variant were found in Israel, bringing the total number of infections of the strain to 30. Three of the cases were discovered in a random sample, raising concerns of non detected spread.
Meanwhile, the British variant is spreading wildly in Israel, with health officials blaming the high number of coronavirus cases after weeks of blocking the mutation in the UK. Daily infections continue by the thousands, despite Israel’s strict restrictions and vaccination campaign.
Nearly 3 million Israelis – almost a third of its population – received the first dose of the vaccine and 1.7 million received both vaccines.
Ten staff members at the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Saturday, five days after receiving the second dose of a coronavirus vaccine. None showed symptoms. The vaccine is believed to reach full potency about a week after the second injection.
A man receives an injection of COVID-19 vaccine in Jerusalem on January 28, 2021 (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
According to several reports this Saturday, the Ministry of Health is studying to temporarily cancel the quarantine exemption for vaccinees after contact with a confirmed carrier, as it is not yet clear whether vaccination prevents a person from carrying and transmitting the virus to others, even while protecting the person from getting sick. Given the still high infection rates, the authorities may err on the side of caution and revoke exemptions for a time.
In an effort to keep variants of the virus out of the country, Israel has closed its main international airport, including for its own citizens. The order is set to expire on Sunday, but will likely be extended.
The government hopes on Sunday to extend the national blockade for another week to reduce infection rates.
The agencies contributed to this report.
