Following the news from Israel that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine reduced symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 by 94% and severe COVID-19 by 92%;

Philipp Rosenbaum, PhD, Senior Infectious Diseases Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers their view:

“The speedy rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine in Israel creates real world data almost in real time on the public health outcomes of COVID-19 vaccination, serving as an example for the rest of the world. A combination of a highly effective vaccine, a modern and digitalized healthcare system, and the relatively small population of the country bring Israel into an enviable position globally, as other countries struggle with vaccine supply and fragmented healthcare systems.

“Recent data not only showed a drastic reduction in symptomatic and severe COVID-19 cases and reductions in hospitalizations, but also a reduction in viral load in vaccinated people, strongly suggesting reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission. However, the emergence of new, more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, might reduce the vaccine’s effect on transmission.

“However, not all countries will have access to highly effective mRNA vaccines, both for supply and price reasons. The adenovirus vector-based vaccine from AstraZeneca will likely be widely available soon after the World Health Organization (WHO) authorization and be produced en masse at a low price, while Johnson & Johnson’s single dose adenovirus vector vaccine will be important to quickly create protection to control the outbreak. Although showing lower efficacy in Phase III trials, both vaccines protect against severe COVID-19, even from certain SARS-CoV-2 variants, and initial data points to a reduction in transmission after vaccination with AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

“Furthermore, data from Israel shows that current vaccine technologies can both prevent COVID-19 and likely reduce transmission; however, adaptations in the vaccine formulation might be needed to offer the same protection against all variants. GlobalData believes an interesting solution could be to include a mix of antigens in COVID-19 vaccines, or antigen instructions for mRNA or adenoviral vaccines, to target multiple versions of the coronavirus spike protein and thus offer protection against several SARS-CoV-2 variants in one vaccine. In the meanwhile, current versions of the vaccine will help to reduce the most severe impacts of the pandemic, hospitalizations, and mortality, and help to reduce the unprecedented strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems.”