Israeli data shows Pfizer vaccine nearly 99 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 death 2 weeks after 2nd dose

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
(Image credit: ACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

More good news came out of Israel on Saturday when the country's health ministry released another round of data on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, further affirming its effectiveness.

The latest numbers, which were compiled through Feb. 13 and compare the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, show that the jab has been nearly 96 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections two weeks after individuals receive their second dose. When it comes to preventing severe infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from the coronavirus, the figure jumps to an efficacy rate around 99 percent.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.