Israeli study shows real-world efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID ...

“Furthermore, population-level estimates of the impact of a COVID-19 vaccine on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections have not been reported.”Alroy-Preis and colleagues estimated the real-world effectiveness of two doses of BNT162b2 against a range of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes using national surveillance data from the first 4 months (January 24th to April 3rd, 2021) of the vaccination campaign.They compared the incidence rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection (asymptomatic and symptomatic), COVID-19-related hospitalization, severe or critical hospitalization, and death from the disease among fully vaccinated individuals (those for whom 7 days had passed since a second dose) with the rates among unvaccinated individuals.The researchers also used the proportion of spike gene target failures (SGTF) on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing among a nationwide convenience-sample of SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens to estimate the prevalence of the B.1.1.7 variant.“The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7, first identified in the UK and associated with increased transmissibility, has emerged in several countries and was first reported in Israel on December 23rd, 2020,” says the team.By the 3rd April, 4,714,932 (72∙1%) of 6,538,911 people aged 16 years or older had been fully immunized with two doses of BNT162b2.During the study period, there were 232,268 SARS-CoV-2 infections, 7,694 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 4,481 cases of severe or critical hospitalization, and 1,113 deaths from the disease.After adjustment for age, sex, and calendar week, the efficacy of complete BNT162b2 vaccination was 95∙3% against SARS-CoV-2 infection overall; 91∙5% against asymptomatic infection, 97∙0% against symptomatic COVID-19, 97∙2% against hospitalization, 97∙5% against severe or critical hospitalization, and 96∙7% against death from the disease.The estimates of vaccine efficacy against all SARS-CoV-2 outcomes were higher than 96% among people aged 75 years and older.Across all age groups, as cumulative vaccine coverage increased, the 7-day daily moving average of incident cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection markedly declined, reports the team.“Notably, steeper and earlier declines were observed in older age groups, which had higher and earlier vaccine coverage,” says Alroy-Preis and colleagues.During the analysis period, 94.5% of 8,472 samples tested showed an SGTF, thereby proving that BNT162b2 is effective against the B.1.1.7 variant.“This study showed that two doses of BNT162b2 were highly effective, including in older adults, against laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations, severe disease, and deaths in a nationwide observational study where variant B.1.1.7 was the dominant strain,” say the researchers.Corroborating the observed high effectiveness was an observed marked decline in the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection as vaccine coverage increased, adds the team.“These data provide nationwide evidence of the beneficial public health impact of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign,” writes Alroy-Preis and colleagues.“Taken together, these findings suggest that high vaccine uptake can meaningfully stem the pandemic and offers hope for eventual control of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak as vaccination programs ramp up across the rest of the world,” they conclude.Posted in: Child Health News | Men's Health News | Medical Research News | Women's Health News | Disease/Infection NewsTags: Coronavirus, Coronavirus Disease COVID-19, Efficacy, Gene, Immunization, Laboratory, Pandemic, Pharmaceuticals, Polymerase, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Public Health, Respiratory, SARS, SARS-CoV-2, Severe Acute Respiratory, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Syndrome, VaccineWritten bySally first developed an interest in medical communications when she took on the role of Journal Development Editor for BioMed Central (BMC), after having graduated with a degree in biomedical science from Greenwich University.Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:APARobertson, Sally. <https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210506/Israeli-study-shows-real-world-efficacy-of-Pfizer-BioNTeche28099s-COVID-19-vaccine.aspx>.ChicagoRobertson, Sally.