Two Pfizer Covid vaccine doses give over 95% protection, shows Israel study

First research of its kind shows power of vaccines to stem pandemic, cutting hospitalisation, death and infection rates

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Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have proved more than 95% effective against infection, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 in Israel, the country with the highest proportion of its population vaccinated in the world, research has found.

One shot of the vaccine was partially effective, offering 58% protection against infection, 76% against hospitalisation, and 77% against death. The authors of the observational study in the Lancet medical journal say this shows the importance of having the second shot.