Sir Patrick Vallance said today that it was too early to draw conclusions from the Israeli vaccination campaign after fears that hospitals have not yet collapsed.
Israel is currently leading the global vaccination campaign, with about 30 percent of its citizens having received at least one dose of injection so far.
However, disease and mortality rates, as well as hospital admissions, have not been shown to be falling.
The latest figures show another 7,027 were diagnosed for the virus Thursday, with 64 new deaths from the disease. Out of 82,930 active cases, 1,918 are hospitalized. Last week, the hospital figure was just over 1,000.
Addressing the seeming failure of the jab regime in cutting infection rates, Israel ‘s chief medic coronavirus said Wednesday that the Pfizer vaccine was less effective than expected.
Real-world data from the worldwide Israeli outbreak showed that the first dose resulted in a 33 percent reduction in cases of coronavirus between 14 and 21 days later in people who received the injection.
The figure is lower than the British regulator ‘s estimate, which said it could prevent 89 per cent of recipients from getting Covid-19 symptoms.
But Sir Patrick, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said at a Downing Street news conference on Friday that Israeli data were ‘very early’.
Israel is currently leading the global vaccination campaign, with about 30 percent of its citizens having received at least one dose of injection so far
Sir Patrick Vallance said today it was too early to draw conclusions from the Israeli vaccination campaign after fears hospitals have not yet collapsed
He said: ‘In terms of Israeli data, I think that’s information from one of the organizations that organize health in Israel, I think there are four, and it was preliminary data that came out on the numbers.
‘I think the Israeli health ministry has said that they are not entirely sure that that is the final data and they expect the effects to increase so I think it is very early.
‘Here is initial information from a subset of people, they didn’t follow people long enough.
‘We had a conversation with Israeli councilors yesterday and they expect to find out more over the next few weeks.
‘And I think we need to monitor this carefully, we need to continue to look at data and understand the performance of vaccines in the real world. ‘
Dr Nachman Ash, one of the doctors who led the Covid-19 response in Israel, told local media Military Radio earlier in the week: ‘Many people are infected between the first and the second injection of the vaccine. ‘
It can take 10 days or more for the immune system to start.
Real-world data from Israeli worldwide distribution showed that the first dose resulted in a 33 percent reduction in cases of coronavirus between 14 and 21 days later in people who received the injection
Dr Ash’s comment came after Britain’s decision to widen the gap between the first and second doses from three weeks to 12 weeks raising anger among scientists.
Pfizer’s own data show that protection from Covid starts from about 12 days after the first dose but a single injection can only prevent about 52 percent of disease cases, compared to the a 95 percent reduction offered by two.
It offers no proof that a single dose works longer than three weeks.
For this reason, the U.S. pharmaceutical company refused to support Britain’s decision to change the dosing schedule, saying there was no evidence that it would work.
Dr. Ash suggests that the level of protection after the first dose is even lower than the 52 percent claimed by Pfizer.
Vaccination regulators in the UK have reported that BP Pfizer injection appeared to work so well after one injection that they questioned whether a second one was needed at all.
Dr Nachman Ash, Israel’s chief coronavirus pharmacist, said Wednesday that the Pfizer vaccine was less effective than expected
On Friday, UK Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty defended the decision to delay the offer of a second vaccine injection, arguing it allowed more people to offer a level of immunity against Covid-19.
He said it was still a plan to offer people two doses of the vaccine as it is understood that the follow-up injection strengthens the time someone is protected for the virus.
But a Government adviser argued that doubling the number of people getting the majority of available inoculation against the deadly disease would be achieved more quickly by following the strategy for the widen the gap between doses from three weeks to 12.
He made the comments after being challenged by a concerned member of the public at a press conference on Downing Street about the decision to delay the follow-up injection.
Dr. said. Whitty: ‘We are absolutely clear that everyone needs two vaccines.
‘The first one takes most, as far as we can see, of the first vaccine, but the second vaccine increases that, and it seems to last longer as well.
So, we really want to get two vaccines.
‘The purpose of extending the course of the vaccine to a large extent is to double the number of people who receive the vaccine, so it is a public health decision.
‘With a relatively simple mathematical process, you can imagine if a vaccine is more than 50 per cent effective, if you double the number of people getting the vaccine in this dangerous time when there are so many viruses. circulation, you are totally going to get a huge benefit. ‘
Professor Whitty said as to whether the delay allowed the virus to circulate and work against the protection afforded by the first injection, he said the decision was delayed. put on the second dose of vaccine based on ‘risk balance’.
‘I think most people would agree that the risk identified was significantly less than the risk of people not getting the vaccine, and that was the alternative. , ‘he said.
Israel started vaccination on December 19 and had already given doses to 800,000 people by the start of the year two weeks ago, meaning a large chunk of the population should have a large amount of protection 8.7 million now.
Israel hopes the vaccination campaign will begin to show success by mid-February and hopes to vaccinate all its adults by the end of March – when PM Benjamin Netanyahu opposes voters there the snap selection.