Maccabi HMO Confirms Pfizer Clinical Trials

Impressive data on the efficacy of the Pfizer covid vaccine continued to emerge on Thursday as Maccabi Healthcare Services in Israel announced that of the half million people it has given both doses to, only 544 — or 0.104% — have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

“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 was quoted saying by The Times of Israel.

She also noted that among those were vaccinated and became infected, almost all suffered only mild symptoms. Out of the 523,000 fully vaccinated people, 544 were infected with covid, of whom 15 required hospitalization, and of those, 8 are in mild condition, 3 in moderate condition, and 4 in serious condition.

The performance in “real-life” of the Pfizer vaccine in Israel is being closely monitored around the world, to see if it lives up to the results of the clinical trials. As it shows an effectiveness of 95%, the trials appear to be fully confirmed.

Against a background of a slowdown in the vaccination drive, Mizrahi Reuveni cited the new statistics in urging Israelis to schedule shots.

“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, G-d forbid, death as well as the possibility that you will infect and endanger others.”