Pfizer Covid vaccine 94% effective in peer-reviewed, real-world mass study

Author of first study of Israel's vaccination programme to be peer-reviewed hails surprising' real-world results

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The first major real-world study of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to be independently reviewed has shown that the jab is as good as the trials promised, in a potentially landmark moment for countries desperate to end lockdowns and reopen economies.

A study of 1.2 million people in Israel, which has vaccinated most of its population with the Pfizer vaccine over the last two months, found that two doses cut symptomatic cases by 94% across all age groups and severe illness by 92%. The data was peer-reviewed and published in the highly-regarded New England Journal of Medicine.