Symptomatic COVID-19 cases dropped 94% with Pfizer vaccine, Israeli data show

An Israeli study, conducted in partnership with researchers from Harvard University, offers more good news about the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. After comparing outcomes in 600,000 vaccine recipients and 600,000 matched participants who were not immunized, investigators calculated a 94% decrease in symptomatic COVID-19 infections among enrollees who received both doses of the vaccine. That cohort also was 92% less likely to become severely ill if infected. Additionally, the research was the first to demonstrate such a high level of efficacy with the Pfizer vaccine among recipients aged 70 years and older. “It is now unequivocal that Pfizer’s vaccine against the coronavirus is incredibly effective in real life 1 week after the second dose, just as was found in the clinical study,” read a statement from study co-author Ran Balicer, who noted that efficacy increases even more 2 weeks after the booster injection.