Israel says Covid vax fears 'inaccurate' after many test positive

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IANS | 21 Jan, 2021
After the man coordinating Israel's Covid-19 response reportedly said that a single vaccine dose against the disease appeared less effective than expected and also lower than Pfizer had suggested, the country's health ministry said that fears about the effectiveness of the vaccine were "out of context and inaccurate."

Israel is one of the top countries leading the world in vaccinating people against Covid-19.

However, Israeli Covid-19 commissioner Nachman Ash told Israel's Army Radio that a single dose appeared to be "less effective than we had thought," according to The Guardian.

Reacting to Ash's note of caution, the Israeli Ministry of Health said "the comments of the Israeli Covid-19 commissioner regarding the effect of the first dose of the vaccine were out of context and, therefore, inaccurate," according to a BBC report on Thursday.

Ash's comments came after thousands of people tested positive despite being jabbed.

The ministry said that the full protective impact of the vaccine is expected to be seen only after the second dose is also administered.

It is well-known that a single dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is not expected to provide full protection against the disease, although some countries like the UK have delayed giving the second dose in a bid to maximise the number of people given the initial dose.

A single dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is about 52 per cent effective, according to the company, said the The Guardian report.

Israel started vaccinating on December 19, reaching 10 per cent of its population by the end of 2020.