Coronavirus: Biontech vaccine stops virus transmission by 89.4 percent

According to an initial investigation, the vaccine from Biontech and its US partner Pfizer apparently largely prevents the transmission of the coronavirus. According to SPIEGEL information, this is the result of a large observational study carried out jointly with the Israeli Ministry of Health.

It was found that the vaccine was 89.4 percent efficient in preventing Sars-CoV-2 infections. For the further course of the pandemic, this message can be decisive in several ways.

Around a third of the population in Israel has already been vaccinated. That is why it was possible for the first time to observe on a broad basis how the vaccine works and influences the pandemic. Overall, the data from around 1.7 million vaccinated people were apparently included in the study.  The  results had been eagerly awaited, as the clinical trials for the approval of the corona vaccines only examined how effectively Covid 19 disease is prevented. It was previously unclear whether vaccinated people could still transmit the virus.

Expectations were restrained, and Biontech boss Uğur Şahin had also suspected that his vaccine could prevent 60 percent of infections at most.

 The  result was actually surprisingly clear: While in the group of double vaccinated only 1842 Sars-CoV-2 infections occurred, which corresponds to an incidence rate of 11.5 per 100,000 person-days – i.e. 11.5 infections per 100,000 days that the Subjects taken together in the study – there were 76797 infections in the control group of unvaccinated, which is about ten times the incidence rate of 114.4. corresponds.

 The  practice data from Israel showed a decline in infections in ever larger sections of the population. This suggests that vaccinated people not only protect themselves, but also others. Important: variant B 1.1.7 was already the dominant one during the investigation with 81 percent of the cases.

 The  study is still to be published on a preprint server and in a specialist magazine. For this reason, the detailed data have not yet been commented on by Biontech and Pfizer. However, the almost 22-page paper was already known in Israel.

 The  fact that the Biontech vaccine not only prevented the symptoms of Covid-19 disease, but apparently also prevented Sars-CoV-2 infection in Israel in almost 90 percent of cases is good news for three reasons.

• If the results from Israel are confirmed, the new phase of the pandemic that began with the mass vaccination is likely to be less dangerous than feared. If the vaccination were only to protect against Covid-19 symptoms in a large percentage of cases, in the worst case the vaccinated could become an army of asymptomatically infected people who, thinking themselves safe, infected others.

  

   The n the immunized themselves would be protected from a serious course of the disease – but all others, until they have been vaccinated themselves, are all the more in danger. If, on the other hand, almost 90 percent of those vaccinated are actually no longer infected with Sars-CoV-2, it will be much easier to control the pandemic in the next few months, and contact restrictions could possibly also be relaxed earlier.

• New virus variants have a harder time. Because the more people infected with Sars-CoV-2, the more opportunity it has to mutate and form variants that are more contagious or that partially escape the immune response.

   The  past few weeks have shown that this mainly happens where the virus has spread uncontrollably. A vaccination, which largely prevents infection with Sars-CoV-2, also prevents the virus from multiplying and thus robs it of the opportunity to mutate.

   The  formation of new variants would at least be slowed down.

• 

   The  prospects are also improving in the long term. Because only with a vaccine that protects against infection is something like herd immunity even achievable – a state in which so many people in the population are immune that it is unlikely that an infected person will meet many people he / she is can infect. Infection chains would break off much faster, and those who were not vaccinated would then be much better protected than they are now.

Illnesses decrease significantly

 The  study from Israel also provided other encouraging findings:

 The  high effectiveness against Covid-19 found in the clinical studies was confirmed: In symptomatic diseases, it was 93.7 percent. However, it was not possible to research whether this also applies to the South African variant – there were too few cases.

This data could be collected because Israel has a highly digitized health system and partly even – anonymized – real-time data from corona tests could be included. Almost all citizens also have electronic health records.

As early as December 6, Israel started its national vaccination program – it is aimed at people aged 16 and over – 6.4 million citizens or 71 percent of the total population of the country. Israel was hit hard by the coronavirus at the time.

 The  country was cordoned off on January 8; on January 20 alone, 10,213 new infections were reported

 The  extent to which vaccinations affect the rate of infection is shown impressively by the following figures: On February 6, 71.5 percent of the population aged 65 or older were vaccinated – in this age group the seven-day incidence fell noticeably.

 The  incidences decreased the more people were vaccinated

 The  results of the current evaluation can be briefly summarized as follows:

 The  more people were vaccinated with two doses of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine BNT162b2, the lower the incidence of Sars-Cov-2 infections in Israel, and the milder the disease, if she did.

 The  majority of people hospitalized with Covid-19 during the observational study were unvaccinated.

 The  Israeli Ministry of Health has meanwhile announced that a special pass will be introduced from Sunday that will allow vaccinated and convalescents to attend cultural events, synagogues and fitness studios, among other things. This so-called “green pass” should also enable restaurant visits. “This is what the first step towards normalcy will look like,” said the Istrian Minister of Health, Yuli Edelstein.

 The  mask requirement also applies to vaccinated people.

 The re is no other way to protect the health of everyone, the Israeli government said.