As I see it | Why Israel’s Covid-19 vaccination programme provides first link in vital data chain
- With governments around the world gearing up to vaccinate their populations, evidence of real-world effectiveness will be closely watched
- The evidence from Israel is promising, but it remains to be seen how well the current vaccines can cope with new variants
As the world scrambles for Covid-19 vaccines, scientists are closely watching the impact they have in the real world.
The efficacy and safety data from clinical trials provided important information to regulators deciding whether to approve their use, but scientists are now focused on their impact on caseloads in the population at large.
So far the information is limited because most countries are still struggling to acquire enough vaccines for their populations.
Israel, which has vaccinated a higher percentage of its people than any other country, has provided the most comprehensive set of data so far.
Israel’s largest health care provider Clalit said a study of 600,000 people who received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine found that there had been a 94 per cent drop in symptomatic Covid-19 infections and 92 per cent fewer cases of severe illness among those given the jabs.
While real-world figures for other vaccines are not available yet, trial results suggest they all seem to be doing well in reducing severe cases.