Israel Setting the Pace for COVID-19 Vaccinations

An original version of this article was published by sister publication Contagion.

Israel is currently setting the standard for vaccinating its population for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The country has almost reached a critical point in their vaccine rollout, with 4.74 million individuals receiving at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data published by the University of Oxford. What’s more, 19.98% have received both doses, far and away the most of any country, with the UAE at a distant second at 2.53%.

Over the weekend, the European Union announced that they had authorized AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted a commercial marketing authorization to the company to administer the vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older.

The decision follows a rolling review of trial data from the phase 3 program headed by the University of Oxford. The vaccine has shown a primary efficacy endpoint of 70.4% from 4 clinical trials with 20,000 participants.

Two more vaccines, Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) JNJ-78436735 and Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373, have reported data from phase 3 trials. J&J’s JNJ-78436735 vaccine showed that it was 85% effective in preventing severe disease across all regions studied after 28 days of receiving the therapy.

Novavax reported an 89% efficacy in a trial conducted in the United Kingdom at a time when transmission is significantly rising. The company also announced that the vaccine is 60% effective in a phase 2b trial that took place in South Africa.

Data Table per Our World in Data (Jan 31, 2021, 12 AM EST)

With the UK and South African variant making its way throughout the United States, President Biden has put an emphasis on prioritizing the administration of first doses to as many people as possible.

Data Table per CDC COVID-19 Tracker (Jan 31, 2021, 9 AM EST)

For more information on COVID-19 vaccination research, distribution, and assessment, check out some of these recent Contagion stories:

COVID-19 Vaccine Updates for February 2021

Preprint Data: Pfizer Vaccine Shows Reduced COVID-19 Risk After 2 Weeks Administration

Sanofi To Provide 125 Million Doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine this Summer