After two doses of vaccine effectiveness of almost 96 percent – BionTech vaccine

According to new data from Israel, the corona vaccine from the Mainz-based company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer has an effectiveness of almost 96 percent after two vaccine doses. As the Israeli Ministry of Health announced on Saturday, two weeks after the second dose of vaccination, 95.8 percent fewer infections were found in vaccinated people than in non-vaccinated people. One week after the second dose, the effectiveness was 91.9 percent.

According to the study, the vaccine also protects 99.2 percent from serious illness and 98.9 percent from fatal outcome two weeks after the second dose.  The  Israeli vaccination campaign is considered to be the most successful in the world. In Israel, which has around nine million inhabitants, according to new information from the Ministry of Health, 4.25 million people have already received at least one corona vaccine dose. 2.88 million people have already received both of the vaccine doses necessary for complete immunization. Everyone aged 16 and over can now make an appointment for a vaccination.

Paper not officially published

However, the study authors also write that their approach could lead to the effect of vaccination on infections being overestimated.  The  study results are difficult to assess.  The  manuscript was leaked to Israeli journalists from the internet portal “ynet” and has not been officially published, neither on a preprint server nor in a specialist journal that has been examined by experts. Biontech did not want to comment on the document when asked on Sunday.

 The  S manuscript is based on Israeli health records of vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

So far it was unclear to what extent the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer prevents infections with the coronavirus. Because the first results of a large clinical investigation with more than 40,000 test persons did not refer to infections, but to diseases. (apa)