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New data from an unreviewed, preprint research article indicate first-dose immunization efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus 2019 vaccine improves by 51% 13-24 days post administration.
New data from an unreviewed, preprint research article indicates first-dose immunization efficacy from Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine BNT162b2 is improved 51% after 13-24 days among Israel residents given the vaccine. The retrospective cohort assessment, pending review and publication, is among the first real-world indications of first-dose efficacy of the currently authorized mRNA vaccines for the pandemic.
Israel is currently the most vaccinated country against COVID-19, per capita, worldwide. According to Our World in Data, more than one-third of the total population has received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Thursday—or, nearly 3 million people. Off the strength of phase 3 results for BNT162b2—which was used to support its approved Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) under the FDA last month, and showed COVID-19 prevention efficacy of greater than 90% among adults after their second dose—the current understanding is that the Pfizer-BioNTech product is among the most promising prophylaxes for the pandemic virus.
That said, investigators wrote, real-life vaccine effectiveness evaluation during the rollout phase is “urgently needed, especially given the global disease surge.”