JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The risk of illness from COVID-19 has decreased by 95.8% among people who received both injections of the Pfizers vaccine, the Israeli Ministry of Health said Saturday.
The vaccine was also 98% effective in preventing fever or breathing problems and 98.9% in preventing hospitalization and death, the ministry said.
The findings were based on data collected nationally through February 13 from Israelis who had received their second shot at least two weeks earlier. According to the Ministry of Health website, about 1.7 million people had received a second injection by January 30, making them eligible for hospitalization.
Israel’s ambitious vaccination drive has made it the largest real-world study of Pfizer’s vaccine, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he expects 95% of Israelis 50 and older to be vaccinated in the next two weeks.
Previous reports from individual health care providers also showed positive results, spurring Israel to lift restrictions on the economy after weeks of lockdown. Schools and many shops may reopen on Sundays.
The Department of Health has also rolled out a ‘Green Pass’ app, linked to personal health records, that can show people who have been fully vaccinated or deemed immune from COVID-19 recovery to stay in hotels or cultural or sporting events to attend.
Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by David Holmes and Giles Elgood