A study conducted among healthcare workers at an Israeli hospital has noted that the first dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was 85% effective.

The findings from the study conducted at the Sheba Medical Center compare with the overall efficacy of nearly 95% with a two dose regimen given 21 days apart. Recently, researchers from Canada had also suggested that the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be delayed considering the high level of protection provided by the first dose, so that more people can get vaccinated. Their investigation noted an efficacy of 92.6% following the first dose.

The Sheba study will be published in The Lancet… (Reuters, February 19, 2021)