‘The magic has started’, Israel beginning to see falling cases

THE number of Covid- 19 cases among vulnerable age groups in Israel has plummeted since medics started giving out the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Nearly 40 per cent of the country’s population has now received at least one jab.

And since the rollout of the follow-up round of inoculations began on January 10, there has been a 30 per cent drop in hospitalisations in adults over the age of 60, and a 20 per cent reduction in those falling seriously ill with the virus.

Research also shows that the jab is between 66 and 85 per cent effective at preventing infection and up to 96 per cent effective in stopping severe disease. The news comes as a new coronavirus drug – EXOCD24 – was hailed by scientists as a ‘huge breakthrough’ after 30 Israelis were effectively cured of the disease. Almost all of the patients, whose cases ranged from moderate to severe, were released from hospital within three to five days.

Speaking about the Pfizer vaccine, Professor Dvir Aran, a biologist at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, said: ‘Our sensitivity analysis provides an estimate for the effectiveness of the vaccine in reducing positive and severe cases. While this estimate is lower than the efficacy of the [ Pfizer trial], it is still substantive and provides reassurance for the vaccine efficacy. We see that immediately after the second dose the effectiveness jumps.’

According to a second study by the Weizmann Institute, there was a dramatic drop-off in cases among older patients and fewer hospitalisations after the second dose was rolled out.

The study’s lead author, Professor Eran Segal, said: ‘We say with caution, the magic has started.’

Israel – which has been registering a daily average of 6,500 new Covid-19 cases, down from around 8,000 in mid-January–has announced that it will ease lockdown measures imposed on December 27, but keep its international airports closed until February 20 as cases fall. Under the planned easing of restrictions, Israelis will no longer be limited to staying within 500 yards of their homes.

Services such as hair and beauty salons will be allowed to operate as normal, while nature reserves and national parks will reopen.

But hotels will remain closed and restaurants will only be permitted to serve takeaway food.

The country has recorded a total of more than 675,000 cases of Covid-19, including more than 5,000 deaths. EXO- CD24 – which was designed as a treatment for ovarian cancer – is inhaled as a gas by patients. Created at the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, it works by reducing the immune system’s overreaction to the virus.