Pfizer-BioNtech's COVID-19 vaccine offers at least 97 per cent effectiveness in symptomatic Covid-19 cases, according to real-world data published by the pharma company.
The analysis, based on real-world data gathered by the Israel Ministry of Health, also found the vaccine's effectiveness at 94 per cent against asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.
"We are extremely encouraged that the real-world effectiveness data coming from Israel are confirming the high efficacy demonstrated in our Phase 3 clinical trial and showing the significant impact of the vaccine in preventing severe disease and deaths due to Covid-19," Luis Jodar, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer Vaccines, said in a statement.
The latest data analysis finds unvaccinated individuals were 44 times more likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19 and 29 times more likely to die from this virus-borne disease.
This comprehensive real-world evidence can be of importance to countries around the world as they advance their own vaccination campaigns one year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic, the statement said.
In January, Pfizer and the Israel MoH entered into a collaboration agreement to monitor the real-world impact of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The findings from the analysis were derived from de-identified aggregate Israel MoH surveillance data collected between January 17 and March 6, 2021.
For all outcomes, vaccine effectiveness was measured from two weeks after the second dose.