Tel Aviv — A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is said to be 86 per cent effective in those aged 60 and above, said Israeli healthcare provide on Wednesday (Aug 18).
Initial results from a study of thousands of members showed that people over 60 years old who got a third dose of the vaccine showed higher immunity against Covid-19 compared to those who only received two doses, said Israeli HMO Maccabi, which accounts for about a quarter of the country’s 9.3 million population.
It was reported that 37 people who received the third jab tested positive for Covid-19, compared to 1,064 individuals who only got two doses.
The comparison groups had similar demographics, consisting of 149,144 individuals who received three doses and 675,630 who only got two doses.
Information on the severity of Covid-19 infection on the 37 cases or if the patients had underlying health conditions was not revealed by Maccabi.
New data released by Pfizer on Jul 28 showed the third shot of its Covid-19 vaccine could improve immunity against the virus.
Both Pfizer and BioNTech noted that the vaccine’s protection holds up for at least six months, but could begin to decline towards the end of the stated period.
The vaccine’s efficacy peaked at more than 96 per cent beginning one week to around two months after the second dose. It eventually declined to about 83.7 per cent four to six months later, showing an average decline rate of about six per cent over the last two months.
“We are in ongoing discussions with regulatory agencies regarding a potential third-dose booster of the current vaccine and, assuming positive results, anticipate an emergency use authorization submission as early as August,” said Dr Mikael Dolsten, who leads the worldwide research, development and medical for Pfizer.
Meanwhile, Israel began administering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Jul amid a surge in local transmissions caused by the Delta variant.
About 1.1 million of the population eligible to receive the dose has been inoculated a third time.
Reports noted that the United States and European countries are considering making a third dose more available, with priority being given to the elderly and individuals with weak immune systems. /TISG
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