The state-laboratory has always anticipated the progress of the virus and vaccination efficacy. Europe, grappling with a new spike in coronavirus cases, could learn lessons from experience with booster doses
Good news on the effectiveness of the third dose comes from Israel, where yesterday, for the second time in less than a week, they returned zero deaths. The country, the first of all Westerners to have started the vaccination campaign almost a year ago, was the laboratory par excellence, the test bench that anticipates what will be the trends with respect to data on vaccination efficacy and coronavirus prevalence.
Worst unrestricted wave ended
Well, these figures say that the third dose ended the fourth wave experienced by the country since this summer: the return to normalcy is almost complete and not due to restrictions (very few have been reintroduced), but to recovery of the protective effect Pfizer vaccine (the only one administered in Israel). The number of active coronavirus cases in Israel dropped to 5,984, after exceeding 10,000 for more than three months and having surpassed 90,000 in early September, according to data released Sunday by the Ministry of Health. There are a few hundred new cases per day, down from 5,000 and 6,000 per day almost two months ago. The fourth wave by number of new positives (see GRAPH 1 above, ed) was the most impressive ever, with a peak on 14 September.
Protection against severe cases
Pfizer’s protective effect weakened with regard to infections, but remained good towards hospitalizations and deaths, in fact the relative curve of the fourth wave (see GRAPH 2 above, ed) has registered fewer deaths in the third and second waves. Most of infections, hospitalizations and deaths – it should be specified – concerned the unvaccinated, who in Israel, as a percentage of the entire population, are more than in Italy: 38% against our 27%, about 650,000 people.
The campaign for the third dose
Act with the third dose, even with part of the population not vaccinated enough to avert new closures (and new deaths).
The booster vaccination campaign in Israel began in August, after the decrease in vaccine protection had become evident, about six months after receiving the second dose: the drop in immunity occurred in all age groups. In the graph published yesterday by Haaretz (see GRAPH 3 above, ed) we note the distinction between hospitalizations of people without vaccine, partially vaccinated and fully vaccinated: three weeks after the start of the recall campaign, the number of cases among vaccinated people started to decrease. On the contrary, despite representing only a minority, i unvaccinated became the majority of severe cases from Covid. In other words, Covid has become an unvaccinated pandemic in Israel, as in other countries in the world. Since then, nearly 4 million Israelis, over 42% of the total population, have already received the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine. About 1.1 million Israelis eligible for the recall have yet to receive it. Initially, the third dose was reserved for people over 60, but was later extended to everyone (over 12 years of age).
Higher efficacy than that of the two doses
The efficacy that regains vaccine protection after a significant recall, in some cases not only bridges the decline that occurs over time, but achieves higher efficacy values than before.
A new study from the National Institute for Health Research
(UK government agency) shows how the third dose increased the vaccine’s effectiveness AstraZeneca (compared to a symptomatic infection) 44% to 93% and from 62.5 to 94% for Pfizer: for AstraZeneca a level never reached before.
The first randomized, placebo-controlled, trial of a booster administered in 10,000 people, published on New England Journal of Medicine on September 15th, had shown Pfizer’s effectiveness which, after only 7 days, had arrived 95.6% infection protection (even in the presence of the Delta variant).
The effect could last beyond 10 months
There third dose it works and you can see it from the data coming from the real world and from those obtained from scientific studies and it could do avoid new closures winter: many countries have started the campaign. From 1 December, in Italy it will be offered to all people aged 40 and over. The booster is usually done six months after the second dose (HERE everything you need to know about the third dose in Italy, ed), but how long will its protection last?
Once again the answer could come from Israel: the Channel 12 network announced on Sunday some preliminary data from a study on antibody levels conducted by the Tel Hashomer Hospital which will be made public in 2-4 weeks: they will show that the third dose offers protection different, apparently improved, compared to the first two doses and that it could last 9-10 months and maybe even more. No details have been released on the scope or methodology of Tel Hashomer’s study, but that the effect of a vaccine stabilizes after a third dose is not strange: as speculated in an interview with Courier service by the immunologist of the Scientific Technical Committee (Cts), Sergio Abrignani, could even trigger a long-term memory that allows you not to undergo other recalls before 5-10 years, as is the case with other vaccines.
November 17, 2021 (change November 17, 2021 | 15:54)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
#dose #brings #Israel #fourth #wave #heres