A new Israeli study has found that the new South African coronavirus strain is better at “breaking through” the protection offered by the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than other variants of the virus.
However, one author of the study said that while the research has shown the variant to be highly successful in infecting vaccinated people, it did not provide any data on whether it could generate serious illness among vaccines, according to Medical Xpress.
Tel Aviv University and Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, conducted the study by comparing 400 unvaccinated people infected with COVID-19 to 400 partially or fully vaccinated people who also had the virus.
The researchers found that the South African strain accounted for less than 1% of COVID cases in Israel. However, among the 150 participants who were fully vaccinated and had COVID-19, “the prevalence rate (of the South African variant) was eight times higher than the rate in the unvaccinated (individuals).”
The team explained, “This means that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, though highly protective, probably does not provide the same level of protection against the South African (B.1.351) variant of the coronavirus.”
Prof. Adi Stern of Tel Aviv University said, “The South African variant is able, to some extent, to break through the vaccine’s protection.”
However, he explained that the study did not assess whether the fully vaccinated people with the South African strain developed a severe illness.
He said, “Since we found a very small number of vaccines infected with B.1.351, it is statistically meaningless to report disease outcomes.”
In February, two studies, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted by manufacturers Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna showed that “the presence of antibodies after vaccination was less pronounced in people exposed to the South African variant, indicating diminished protection,” according to Medical Xpress.
According to Israel, 5.3 million people received the first dose of the vaccine, while 4.9 million have had two shots.
An earlier study has found that 1.2 million Israelis had 94% protection against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
After the successful vaccine distribution, Israel has eased many of its restrictions, but it kept certain restrictions in place, such as mask-wearing and a “green passport” system that grants access to certain sites only to those vaccinated, according to Medical Xpress.
Study author Ran Balicer of Clalit said the results could help inform states on how to ease restrictions.
He said, “Inoculations, plus mask-wearing and other safety measures had still likely helped limit the spread of the South African variant, despite its apparent ability to break through the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.”
“A combination of all these factors are most likely… preventing the virus strains, including the South African one, from spreading significantly in Israel, Balicer added. “As we taper down the non-pharmaceutical interventions, we must do so gradually to ensure we do not cross a threshold that would enable these variants to spread.” The article was originally published on Medical Xpress.
