JERUSALEM – The risk of illness from COVID-19 dropped 95.8 per cent among people who received both shots of Pfizer’s vaccine, Israel’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The vaccine was also 98 per cent effective in preventing fever or breathing problems and 98.9 per cent effective in preventing hospitalisations and death, the ministry said.
The findings were based on data collected nationally through February 13 from Israelis who had received their second shot at least two weeks previously. According to the Health Ministry’s website, about 1.7 million people had been administered a second shot by January 30, making them eligible to be included.
Israel’s ambitious vaccination drive has made it the largest real-world study of Pfizer’s vaccine and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he expects 95 per cent of Israelis age 50 and over to be vaccinated in the next two weeks.
Previous reports from individual health care providers also showed positive results, spurring Israel to remove restrictions on the economy after weeks of lockdown. On Sunday, schools and many stores will be allowed to reopen.
The Health Ministry has also rolled out a “Green Pass” app, linked to personal medical files, which people who have been fully inoculated or deemed immune after recovering from COVID-19 can show to stay at hotels or attend cultural or sporting events. (Reuters)
A medical worker prepares to administer a vaccination against COVID-19 as part of a Tel Aviv municipality initiative offering a free drink at a bar to residents getting the shot, February 18, 2021. (Reuters)
