Israel releases results of 700,000 citizens who took Pfizer vaccine

Nothwithstanding the encouraging results of a study assessing the success of the Pfizer vaccination, infection rates in the country remain high and Netanyahu is calling for an extension of the lockdown.

By World Israel News Staff

Preliminary results of an Israeli study are encouraging, showing the Pfizer vaccination to be highly effective in protecting individuals against the coronavirus.

According to a study by Maccabi Health Services, 0.4% of 715,425 Israelis who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccination contracted COVID-19 at least seven days afterwards, TPS reports. Of the 317 who were infected, 16 were hospitalized.

The results concur with Pfizer studies that showed the vaccine to be 95 percent effective.

“The fact that seven to 18 days after receiving the second dose the vaccine shows a 92% efficacy is very encouraging data,” Dr. Anat Aka Zohar, head of the Information and Digital Health Division at Maccabi, said, The Jerusalem Post reports.

“We will continue to monitor the situation to see that if the number increases and reaches the 95% demonstrated during the Pfizer study,” she added.

PM: ‘We want to win’

Nothwithstanding the apparent success of the vaccination program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the Knesset to add two weeks to the lockdown, which is scheduled to end on January 31.

Since the outbreak of the virus almost a year ago, 4,609 Israelis have died, including 96 in the past day.

“We are in a situation in which we can exit from this accursed disease and gradually open our economy,” he said. “We must make a common effort to exit from the coronavirus thanks to the millions of vaccines that we have. We can open our economy if we take care to fight the mutation.

“The mutation is currently striking the whole world; we are in a close race with it. We want to win and get rid of it; for this, a final effort is required.”

Benjamin NetanyahucoronavirusPandemicPfizervaccine