TEL AVIV– Data from Israel suggests Pfizer Inc.s vaccine is less reliable at protecting against infections triggered by the Delta version of Covid-19 but keeps its strength to avoid serious health problem from the extremely infectious pressure.
The vaccine safeguarded 64% of inoculated people from infection during an outbreak of the Delta variation, down from 94% before, according to Israels Health Ministry. It was 94% reliable at avoiding serious health problem in the same period, compared with 97% before, the ministry said.
An Israeli official said Tuesday the health ministry findings released a day earlier were preliminary and based upon information gathered from June 6 through early July. The ministry didnt launch its methodology or the data on which its findings were based.
A representative for Pfizer stated he could not discuss an unpublished survey, but pointed to a recent study that revealed the vaccine continued to offer defense versus new variations.
The findings came as brand-new cases of Covid-19 in Israel increased to a seven-day average of 300 on Tuesday from around 10 a day for the majority of last month. To avoid another rise in infections, the federal government late last month reimposed an indoor mask requirement and other measures after discovering that about 90% of the brand-new infections were likely brought on by the Delta version. Israels total population is around 9.3 million.