Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacy In Preventing Infection Drops To 39 Per Cent: Israel Study

The efficacy of the US pharma giant Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine in preventing infection has dropped to 39 per cent, according to a report by the Israeli Health Ministry.

However, the effectiveness of the jab in preventing serious illness still remains high at 91 per cent.

The efficacy figure, which is based on an unspecified number of people between June 20 and July 17, is down from an earlier estimate of 64% two weeks ago

According to the Israeli Health Ministry's report, the data, based on cases from 20 June to 17 July - a period when the Delta variant took hold across Israel - show that those who are fully vaccinated have only a 40.5 per cent chance of avoiding symptomatic COVID, but still have 88 per cent chance of avoiding hospitalization due to the disease, reports Times of Israel.

The delta strain of the COVID virus reportedly appears to be responsible for the surge in cases around the country despite Israel's rapid inoculation campaign that saw over 5.7 million Israelis receive the first jab, and over 5.2 million receive the booster shot.

These figures are in line with ministry data that show that many of the new cases are among people who have been vaccinated, while the number of serious cases is rising much more slowly, Ynet news reported.

In a statement, Pfizer and BioNTech noted that while real-world data from Israel show vaccine efficacy in preventing infection and symptomatic disease to decline six months post-vaccination, “efficacy in preventing serious illnesses remains high.”

Pfizer said earlier this month it is starting to see waning immunity from its two-dose vaccine, and now plans to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a booster dose. However, federal officials say fully vaccinated Americans do not need additional shots at this time.