Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine proves effective after 1st shot in ‘real world’ test - WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

(AP) – A real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in more than half a million people confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose.

The vaccine was 92% effective at preventing severe disease after two shots and 62% after one.

Its estimated effectiveness for preventing death was 72% two to three weeks after the first shot, a rate that may improve as immunity builds over time.

Both doctors also said the new results may boost consideration of delaying the second shot, as the United Kingdom is trying, or giving one dose instead of two to people who have already had COVID-19, as France is doing, to stretch limited supplies.

“I would rather see 100 million people have one dose than to see 50 million people have two doses,” Creech said.

The vaccine, made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, is given as two shots, three weeks apart, in most countries.

Researchers compared nearly 600,000 people 16 and older in Israel’s largest health care organization who were given shots in December or January to an equal number of people of similar age, sex and health who did not receive vaccine.

The vaccine was estimated to be 57% effective at preventing any symptoms of COVID-19 two to three weeks after the first dose, and 94% a week or more after the second dose.

“Maybe the right thing to do here to protect the most number of people … is to give everybody one dose as soon as you can.

studies suggested benefits even after one dose of the Pfizer vaccine or a different one from AstraZeneca.