American pharmaceutical Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech have announced on 1 April, 2021 that its Coronavirus vaccine was 91.3% effective against Covid-19. The topline results were derived from analysis of 927 confirmed symptomatic cases of the virus observed in their pivotal Phase 3 study through March 13, 2021.
That’s slightly lower than an efficacy rate of 95% it announced earlier on 18 Nov, 2020. Still, anything above 90% is considered a top grade vaccine. In addition, the pharmaceutical company also announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 100% effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Along with Moderna (94.1% efficacy), they are among the most effective of of all the developed vaccines at preventing infection and disease. They are the “crème de la crème” of the world’s vaccines against Coronavirus. However, we have since passed the stage of talking about efficacy. The world has a new problem that many prefer not to talk about – variants of Covid-19.
Just because a top vaccine like Pfizer has an excellent efficacy does not mean it’s the Holy Grail in the extermination of the virus. For months, new variants of Coronavirus have been emerging and circulating around the world. In fact, there are thousands of variants, or different versions, of Covid-19. But the top-3 most famous are the U.K., South Africa and Brazil variants.
While the Brazilian variant (also known as P.1) first emerged in July and has something called E484K mutation, the U.K. or “Kent” version (known as B.1.1.7) has become famous after it spread to about 100 countries since it emerged in September. The South Africa variant (known as B.1.351), meanwhile, has been found in at least 20 countries, including the U.K.
The notorious U.K. variant is up to 70% more infectious largely because of one mutation called “N501Y”. But the South Africa is more dangerous than the U.K. version because it has both “N501Y” and “E484K” mutations. Sure, the N501Y plays a major role in spreading. But the E484K helps the virus evade antibodies and parts of the immune system that can fight Coronavirus.
And since the South African variant escapes immunity, the body will not be able to fight the virus. It was already bad that the N501Y could turbo charged its engine up to 70% more speed to spread to 100 countries. It becomes worse that E484K could transform itself into a new Camaro like the Bumblebee – hence the ability to evade authorities or vaccines.
Even though Pfizer and BioNTech declared as recently as April 1 that their Covid-19 vaccine was highly effective against the South African variant, new data revealed by researchers at Tel Aviv University and Clalit, the largest healthcare organization in Israel, show otherwise. Apparently, the Israeli data shows the variant is able to “break through” or penetrate the protection offered by Pfizer vaccine.
Israel, a country that has used the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine almost exclusively to vaccinate millions of citizens and healthcare workers, launched its national vaccination campaign in December prioritizing people 60 and older. In just 3 weeks, about 20% of the Israeli population have been given the first dose of the vaccine’s two dose regimen.
As of March 15, a jaw-dropping 50% of Israel’s population had been fully vaccinated, and 60% had its first dose. Essentially, Israel has the highest vaccinated population in the world per capita. This rapid rate of vaccination allows the country to research and establish the latest data, the first in the world to be based on real-world data that shows the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against the South Africa variant.
The study examined and compared nearly 400 people who had tested positive for Covid-19, 14 days or more after they received at least one dose of the vaccine. They then compared them to the same number of people who were infected and unvaccinated. The result – the prevalence of the South African strain among patients who received two doses of the vaccine was about 8 times higher.
Professor Adi Stern, who headed the research, said – “Based on patterns in the general population, we would have expected just one case of the South African variant, but we saw eight. Obviously, this result didn’t make me happy”. She said that the results show that the South African variant, compared to the original strain and the British variant, is able to penetrate the vaccine’s protection.
Nevertheless, the Israeli researchers said that the study only had a small sample size of people infected with the South African variant, largely because the B.1.351 variant is rare in Israel. But the gloomy result was sufficient to raise questions about Pfizer-BioNTech’s own real-world study. The Tel Aviv research appears to corroborate another Israeli study by scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Professor Stern believed there could be good news behind the bad news – the British variant may be “blocking” the spread of the South Africa. She explained – “It is possible that the extensive spread of the British variant is blocking the spread of the South African variant. Because it spread so effectively, it basically didn’t allow the South African variant to spread – it won the competition”.
Interestingly, about 2 weeks ago, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky went off script and made an emotional plea to Americans amid fears of a fourth wave. Speaking during a White House briefing, she said – “We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. But right now, I’m scared.”
Appeared to be holding back her tears, she said – “I’m speaking today not necessarily as your CDC director, but as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter to ask you to just please hold on a little while longer. I so badly want to be done. I know you all so badly want to be done. We are just almost there, but not quite yet”. Perhaps she knew about the Israel’s study when she issued the dire warning.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
- EU Finally Admits AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Can Cause Blood Clots – And UK Recommends Get Other Vaccines
- Sinopharm And Sinovac – Should You Trust Any Of These Chinese Covid-19 Vaccines?
- South Africa Suspends “Ineffective” Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine – Plans To Sell It And Use J&J Instead
- Before You Rush For Covid-19 Vaccine, Remember This – You Can’t Sue Anyone If Suffer Any Serious Side Effects
- Forget UK’s Covid-19 Variant – This South African Coronavirus Variant Is Deadlier And Can Spread Even Faster
- Mistake Or Cheating? – AstraZeneca-Oxford Admits Manufacturing Error In Its Vaccine Effectiveness Results
- Moderna Reveals Covid Vaccine – Here’s How This 94.5% Effective Vaccine Differs From Pfizer’s Vaccine
- Coronavirus – Here’s How China Is Back To Normal While The U.S. And Europe Are Getting From Bad To Worse
- Russia Reveals “Sputnik V” – But Scientists Condemn The Coronavirus Vaccine As Risky, Dangerous & Could Backfire
- 3 Coronavirus Variants Discovered – Surprisingly, “Type-A” Found In Americans, Wuhan’s Type-B And Type-C In Europe
April 12th, 2021 by financetwitter
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Comments
Of the 8 cases that had the South African variant covid infection
Did any have severe Covid?
Did any require Hospitalisation ?
Did any die ?
If none of the above, then the vaccine have done it’s job.
It’s not just the numbers BUT ALSO THE SEVERITY OF THE INFECTION
Covid vaccine is to stop hospitalisation and deaths …..
I will remain my usual positive self, give my assurance to our panicky and kiasi monkeys that even if this “last great hope” the wonderful Pfizer vaccine which its own CEO wouldn’t use on his precious self, which useful data of all sorts are yet to be actually available (what we have so far is just fcuking bumf), and which you can’t sue the company for if anything funny happens to you, all you can safely resort to is to be even more panicky and kiasi.
Since being fcuking panicky and kiasi is the only weapon and birthright of our errr panicky and kiasi monkeys, you are all in good standing.
But, honestly, no vaccine can protect us from covid, given that the virus is smarter than those scientists who are vastly smarter than Malaysians and can mutate in all sorts of ways that no vaccine can appear as fast to contain. At present the fast appearance of most vaccines is already bad and rather fearful news – we know the vaccines can kill you instead when you might jolly well have escaped infection or never get infected.
Then again, if the vaccine does not get you before an infection does, being vaccinated does not stop the virus infecting you. You might want to ask what the point is to get vaccinated. Either if you were vaccinated or not, you can still get infected. A recent report from Singapore mentioned someone who had the three courses of a certain vaccine got infected, all the same.
Really, all there is to do is to stay positive with the fact that the vaccine does fcuk all, the vaccines can cause serious problems – and can even kill!
Remaining panicky and kiasi is the best way to cope, just make sure you don’t do the full Malaysian approach, kill yourself from the the sheer fear, paranoia of being panicky and kiasi along the way to being vaccinated or not vaccinated.
If I were you, I’d go around saying goodbye to friends, relatives, forgive enemies, ask enemies to forgive, most of all for you kiasu bastards, give away all your stuff, you can’t take any with you and your loved ones will burn whatever sacrificial luxuries for you for your comfort in Hell, that you have always wanted but cannot get – plus two free gifts, Alhamdulilah, Ameen!
And in case you are not around to read my future posts, let me say goodbye to you now, too!
Has Pfizer’s figures ever been independently verified by genuinely neutral medical experts? All we have read so far are claims of its effectiveness by Pfizer’s own people, inept politicians like Boris Johnson, parroted by media. The fact that months after millions of people had taken the Pfizer vaccine, the Pfizer’s CEO was exposed to have refused to take his company’s own vaccine until he was publicly embarrassed, is very telling. Why would you not want to use a product that you are telling the world that it’s safe and selling it for 2 legs and an arm per vial for?