Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

April 26, 2021

BNT162b2 Vaccination Effectively Prevents the Rapid Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 in High Risk Populations in Israel

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  • The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant was 45% more transmissible than the original strain in Israel, and was identified in more than 90% of positive tests by February 4th, according to an analysis of nearly 300,000 RT-PCR samples collected between December 6, 2020 and February 10, 2021. The authors note that surveillance programs and prioritized vaccination, which initially focused on the elderly population, quickly prevented B.1.1.7-associated infections among this group. The study found a sharp decline in cases when ~50% of older adults were two weeks post-receipt of their first dose, at a time when the B.1.1.7 variant gained transmission dominance among those aged 0-59.

Munitz et al. (Apr 2021). BNT162b2 Vaccination Effectively Prevents the Rapid Rise of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 in High Risk Populations in Israel. Cell Reports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100264