The South African coronavirus variant is better at “breaking through” the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine defense than other forms of the virus, Israeli experts said Sunday.
However, one of the authors told AFP that while the study showed that the variant was relatively successful in infecting vaccinated people, it provided no data as to whether it could cause serious illness among vaccinated people.
The study by Tel Aviv University and Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, compared 400 unvaccinated people infected with COVID-19 to 400 partially or fully vaccinated people who also had the virus.
According to the study, published as a draft on Saturday and currently under peer review, the South African variant accounted for less than one percent of coronavirus cases in Israel.
But among the 150 people in the study who were fully vaccinated and had COVID-19, “the prevalence (of the South African variant) was eight times higher than that of the unvaccinated (individuals),” the study said.
“This means that the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, while highly protective, is unlikely to provide the same level of protection against the South African (B.1.351) variant of the coronavirus,” the study said.
“The South African variant may to some extent break the vaccine’s protection,” said Professor Adi Stern of Tel Aviv University’s Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, one of the study’s authors.
Stern told AFP on Sunday that the study did not assess whether the fully vaccinated Israelis with the South African variant – eight people in total – developed serious illness.
“Since we found a very small number of vaccinees infected with B.1.351, it is statistically pointless to report the outcomes of the disease,” he said.
Precautions
Two studies published in February New England Journal of Medicine conducted by the main vaccine manufacturers Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna showed that the presence of antibodies after vaccination was less pronounced in people exposed to the South African variant, indicating reduced protection.
The Israeli study was the first real-world assessment of the South African variant’s ability to bypass a vaccine.
During Israel’s vaccination campaign, 5.3 million people received a first dose, while 4.9 million, or 53 percent of the population, had two injections.
A previous Clalit study of 1.2 million Israelis found that the Pfizer / BioNTech shot provided 94 percent protection against COVID-19.
Following the successful rollout of vaccinations, Israel has relaxed many of its restrictions, but several measures remain in place, including the wearing of a mask and a “green passport” system that allows access only to certain locations for vaccinated individuals.
Ran Balicer of Clalit, one of the study’s authors, told AFP the results could help educate states on how best to alleviate the disabilities.
Balicer said vaccinations, mask wearing, and other safety measures likely still helped limit the spread of the South African variety, despite its apparent ability to break through the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
A combination of all of these factors “most likely prevents … the strains of viruses, including South African ones, from spreading significantly” in Israel, he said.
“As we phase out non-pharmaceutical interventions, we need to do this gradually to ensure that we do not exceed a barrier that could allow these variants to spread.”
© Agence France-Presse