Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Israel Says Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Shows 92% Effectiveness

Linda Gradstein

   JERUSALEM - In the first large-scale, controlled data outside clinical
   trials, the two-dose Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is showing 92 percent
   effectiveness, according to Israeli health officials. It's good news
   for Pfizer, which says the vaccine also appears to work against the
   British mutation of COVID-19.

   The Maccabi Health Fund studied 163,000 Israelis who had received two
   doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Only 31 of them caught
   COVID-19 after they were fully vaccinated. In an equivalent sample of
   unvaccinated Israelis, almost 6,500 developed the disease.

   The study shows the Pfizer vaccine had 92 percent effectiveness, which
   was close to the 95 percent Pfizer saw in clinical trials. Israeli
   infectious-disease experts said the study is good news and that the
   slight difference between the clinical trials and this current study is
   within the standard deviation.

   Israel has become a real-time laboratory for the Pfizer vaccine, which
   is being widely distributed in the country through the public health
   funds. Israel bought the vaccine early, paying double the market price,
   according to media reports, and agreed to share all of its data with
   Pfizer. All Israelis belong to one of four health funds and all medical
   records are digitized.

   So far, almost 3 million Israelis out of a total population of 9.3
   million have received the first dose of the vaccine, and almost 1.5
   million have received the second dose.

.