Israel Warns That A Single Covid Vaccine 'Less Effective Than We Thought'

An Israeli medical worker prepares a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Tel Aviv on 17 January. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex 

The Guardian: Single Covid vaccine dose in Israel 'less effective than we thought' 

Surge in infections dampens optimism over country’s advanced immunisation programme 

Israel’s coronavirus tsar has warned that a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be providing less protection than originally hoped, as the country reported a record 10,000 new Covid infections on Monday. 

In remarks reported by Army Radio, Nachman Ash said a single dose appeared “less effective than we had thought”, and also lower than Pfizer had suggested. 

By contrast, those who had received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine had a six- to 12-fold increase in antibodies, according to data released by Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer on Monday. 

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Update: Israel is warning that a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine is 'less effective than we hoped' against COVID-19, and it could be a blow to the US and UK strategies (Business Insider) 

WNU Editor: This is concerning. Many jurisdictions around the world are implementing a one shot program, including the province of Quebec, Canada, where I live. Bottom line. If this data from Israel is accurate, it tells me that the vaccine should be administered according to the recommended manufacturer protocols .... i.e. a second dose is administered a few weeks after the first one.