Israel’s Boost: Of Half A Million Vaccinated Israelis, 0 Deaths

Out of half a million Israelis who have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, only 544 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus — four of whom were severe cases — amounting to a 93 percent efficacy rate, an Israeli healthcare provider said.

The 0.1 percent figure came after the Maccabi Health Maintenance Organization compared the vaccinated group with a control group of unvaccinated Israelis.

The statistics represent the first real life data outside of clinical trials.

“This data unequivocally proves that the vaccine is very effective and we have no doubt that it has saved the lives of many Israelis,” senior Maccabi official Dr. Miri Mizrahi Reuveni said after the new data release according to a translation of her remarks by The Times of Israel.

She added that among those who have vaccinated and become infected with the virus, the overwhelming majority reacted with little or no symptoms. Out of the 523,000 – who were monitored at least seven days after receiving the second dose – 544 were infected with COVID-19. Of those 15 needed hospitalization with four in severe condition.

“Anyone who has not been vaccinated so far, please hurry up and make an appointment as soon as possible,” she said. “Protect yourself from a serious illness and, God forbid, death as well as the possibility that you will infect and endanger others.”

Last month, the HMO revealed hospitalizations had begun to decrease dramatically in the over-60s 18 days after receiving the first shot. Maccabi monitored more than 50,000 members.

Among the general population, around 0.65 percent are infected in a given week, The Times of Israel reported citing a top immunologist, a stark contrast to the 0.015 percent infected after becoming fully vaccinated.