Posted on 08/22/21
| News Source: Times of Israel
The latest results from the trials of Israel’s homegrown COVID-19 vaccine indicate the shot may provide longer-term protection than the inoculation developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, which is the shot given to most Israelis.
Channel 12 news reported that 230 volunteers who received the highest dosage of the vaccine, developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona, were notified that they did not need a third dose of the vaccine as their protection remained high, six months after getting a second dose.
The report did not detail how protection was measured, though presumably this was based on antibody counts.
Meanwhile, participants who received low or medium doses have been told to get vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna shots, as those dosages do not appear to offer significant protection.
Israel launched its “booster” vaccination campaign three weeks ago, urging Israelis over 60 (since lowered to over 40) to get their third dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, which officials hope will help protect the population from the new highly contagious variant, and as the level of antibodies in those vaccinated have declined in the months after receiving the initial two doses.
The Israeli-made Brilife vaccine is still deep in the trial phase. In December, the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) successfully completed the first stage of testing and started the second phase, which has been ongoing.