Maccabi Health Services reported this evening that less than 0.01% of its members who have received their second doses from the health maintenance organization (HMO) have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
The data from Maccabi Health Services digital health services division found that only 20 out of 128,600 people who received their second dose of the vaccination more than a week ago have been infected with Covid-19 to date. Maccabi stresses that this is only very preliminary data but nevertheless very encouraging data.
Maccabi reported that most of the 20 people who have been infected, despite having two doses of the vaccine, are over 55. Half of them have underlying conditions and half have none but all are experiencing mild symptoms such as headaches, coughing, weakness and tiredness. None of the 20 have been hospitalized are have even experienced a temperature above 38.5°C. Most of them were infected by another patient who had tested positive for the virus.
Maccabi said that it would continue to monitor the situation on a permanent basis and report its findings to the Ministry of Health. According to Pfizer, the vaccine was 95% effective in its trial, 28 days after the 43,000 participants in its trial received their second dose.
Maccabi Health Services quality, research and digital health services division head Dr. Anat Ekka Zohar said, "The fact that we are talking about people with different profiles, who have been infected, matches the reports from Pfizer's trial. Now it is important to track and to see, in accordance with our expectations, that whoever is infected despite the vaccination does not suffer from serious medical complications as a result of the virus."
Maccabi reports that it has so far inoculated 710,000 people including a second jab for 277,400 people.
Overall Israel's Ministry of Health reports that 2.64 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Israel including 1.2 million people who have received their second dose.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 25, 2021
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