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Mass vaccinations in Israel in early February
Photo: Oded Balilty / AP
A comprehensive study from Israel has confirmed the very high effectiveness of the Biontech / Pfizer corona vaccine.
For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers evaluated the data from 1.2 million people.
According to the results, the vaccine reduces the risk of symptoms by 94 percent.
Previous studies with the agent by the Mainz company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer had already shown an effectiveness level of 95 percent.
For these investigations, however, only several thousand test persons were vaccinated under controlled conditions in clinical studies.
The current Israeli study looked at the effectiveness of the vaccine when used on a massive scale under real-world conditions.
The study was conducted between December 20th and February 1st.
During this period, the particularly contagious British variant of the virus was already spreading in Israel, which speaks in favor of vaccination against this mutant.
Also significantly reduced risk of infection
Of the 1.2 million people whose data were analyzed, only one in two was vaccinated.
Each vaccinated person was compared with a non-vaccinated person who had the same or similar characteristics, including age, gender, geographical origin and state of health.
According to the results, the vaccine protected 57 percent of Covid disease 14 to 20 days after the first dose.
The effectiveness grew to 94 percent seven days after the second vaccination.
After the second dose, according to the study, those who were vaccinated had a 92 percent lower risk than those who were not vaccinated to contract the coronavirus at all - this category includes not only diseases but also infections without symptoms.
The effectiveness of the agent was about the same across all age groups, said Ben Reis, one of the study's co-authors.
So also for people over 70 years of age.
In Israel, around one in three residents has already been vaccinated with the recommended two doses of the Biontech / Pfizer product.
Another study, which has not yet been officially published, also showed that almost 90 percent of the drug prevented the transmission of the virus to other people.
If this is confirmed, it will be much easier to control the pandemic over the next few months.
Scottish study: Fewer hospital stays by AstraZeneca
There are also study results from Scotland that indicate the first positive effects of mass vaccinations.
Accordingly, the vaccination campaign in the country has significantly reduced the burden on hospitals.
Four weeks after the first vaccination with the corona vaccine from AstraZeneca, the risk of those vaccinated to have to be hospitalized for Covid-19 fell by up to 94 percent, according to a preprint from the University of Edinburgh, which has not yet been published by experts was checked.
With the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer, the risk is reduced by up to 85 percent after the first dose.
The researchers analyzed a huge data set to establish links between pandemic development and vaccination progress.
Around 1.14 million people were vaccinated in Scotland between December 8 and February 15.
650,000 of them received the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer, 490,000 the preparation from AstraZeneca.
For those over 80, the risk of having to go to hospital for Covid-19 decreased by an average of 81 percent in the fourth week after the first vaccination, according to the study.
According to the study authors, the results of the study can also be applied to other countries that use the vaccines from AstraZeneca and Biontech / Pfizer.
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irb / AFP