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Pfizer jab less effective than thought against Delta in Israel

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Pfizer jab less effective than thought against Delta variant, Israeli study finds
Neri Zilber

Efficacy of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against infection with the Delta variant of coronavirus is lower than initially thought, a study has revealed.

Data collected over the past month suggest the vaccine is 64 per cent effective at halting infection among those who are fully inoculated, down from a previous estimate of 94 per cent, Israel’s health ministry has found.

However, the figures, first reported in the Ynet news portal, indicate the vaccine is 93 per cent effective against serious illness and hospitalisation.

Israel lifted all remaining Covid-19 restrictions on June 1. Yet cases have ticked up since, with many experts blaming the highly transmissible Delta variant.

As of Monday the country had nearly 2,600 active cases, more than double that of the previous week, though the ministry said only 35 were considered seriously ill.

Israel has enjoyed one of the world’s fastest inoculation drives, emerging from lockdown in the spring amid plummeting infection rates. More than 5m of Israel’s 9m citizens have been fully vaccinated.

Rising case rates have alarmed the government of Naftali Bennett. A push to inoculate teenagers, including the prime minister’s daughter, began last week and more than 100,000 have received a jab.

The government last month reimposed face mask requirements for indoor gatherings and public transport and is considering additional restrictions, including the reintroduction of the “green passport” scheme for those who have been vaccinated, limits on large public gatherings and “booster” jabs.


https://www.ft.com/content/71993b1f-2c29-4743-82e8-f44315c7683f
 
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