Pfizer vaccine effectiveness against Covid-19 Delta variant down to 64% – Israeli data

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Israel on Monday reported a decline in the effectiveness of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine in preventing infections and symptomatic illnesses but said it remains highly effective in preventing serious illnesses.

The decline coincided with the spread of the Delta variant and the end of social distancing restrictions in Israel.

The vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing infections and symptomatic illnesses has fallen to 64% since June 6, the Health Ministry said. At the same time, the vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations and serious illnesses caused by the coronavirus.

In the statement, the ministry did not say what the previous level was or provide further details. However, ministry officials published a report in May saying that two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine provided more than 95 percent protection against infection, hospitalization, and serious illness.

A Pfizer spokesman declined to comment on the Israeli data. However, he cited other research showing that antibodies produced by the vaccine were still able to neutralize all tested variants, including Delta, albeit with reduced strength.

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