A teenager receives a vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 24, 2021. REUTERS / Ronen Zvulun
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel has registered eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and believes the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said on Tuesday.
The first seven cases of the Indian variant were detected last week in Israel among people arriving from abroad and undergoing preliminary tests, the Ministry of Health said.
“The impression is that the Pfizer vaccine is effective against it, although of low effectiveness,” Hezi Levy, the ministry’s director general, told Kan public radio, saying the number of variant cases in Israel now stands at eight.
The ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for more details on the Indian version’s investigation.
The new variant, designated B.1.617, was reported by the Indian Ministry of Health at the end of March (https://bit.ly/3tzfy0p). It contains an E484K mutation, which has been associated with immune leakage through other variants, and another mutation known as L425R, which can increase its transmissibility.
The United Kingdom and Ireland have also said they are investigating the variant after detecting it inside their borders.
Israel, with a population of 9.3 million, has completely vaccinated about 81% of citizens or residents over the age of 16. COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations dropped sharply.
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