DETROIT – There’s new data from Israel on the effectiveness of the Pfizer COVID vaccine against the delta variant.
About 60% of the population in Israel received at least one dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine. Now that the delta variant is the dominant strain there they are in a good position to study the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against it.
Preliminarily data from Israel suggests the Pfizer vaccine is 64% effective in stopping any infection by the delta variant. That includes symptomatic and asymptomatic infection.
Other data from the U.K. suggests the Pfizer vaccine produces 88% efficacy against developing symptomatic COVID-19 whether mild or more severe. That is reduced from Pfizer’s original 95% efficacy against symptomatic illness.
The most important news from the new Israeli data is that the Pfizer vaccine is 93% effective at preventing serious disease. That means, while the vaccine has some reduced potency against the delta variant is still very effective at protecting people from the most severe problems.
President Joe Biden pressed the urgent need for Americans to get vaccinated against COVID as the delta variant drives an increase in COVID cases among the unvaccinated. He promised door-to-door outreach and renewed a push to get vaccines to more primary care doctors.
Around 67% of adults have now had at least one shot. That’s just shy of President Joe Biden’s 70% goal by the Fourth of July. In four states, fewer than 40% have had even one dose. At the same time, hospitalizations are creeping up again in many places. One hospital in Springfield, Missouri ran out of ventilators over the weekend and had to add a second COVID ICU.
Some cities like Los Angeles and St. Louis are urging everyone to wear masks again indoors. The new vaccination efforts will also focus on getting the vaccines into more pediatrician offices to make it easier for children age 12 and up to get vaccinated before returning to school.