Clalit Research: Israeli girls and boys aged 12 to 18, indicates a 90% efficiency in preventing cases of infection

A joint study by the Clalit Research Institute and Harvard University, which examined Israeli girls and boys aged 12 to 18, indicates a 90% efficiency in preventing cases of infection and a 93% efficiency in preventing symptomatic disease. No data have been published regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing hospitalizations of adolescents. The study was conducted during the fourth wave of the corona, between June 8 and September 14. It was based on data from 94,354 Israeli youths aged 12 to 18 who were vaccinated, compared with the same number of unvaccinated people, although during the study about 14,000 boys from the second group were vaccinated.
"With the outbreak of the fourth wave, due to the Delta strain, the question arose as to whether the vaccine used in Israel also provides adequate protection against this strain, as it protected against the alpha strain," says Prof. Ran Blitzer, head of Clalit's innovation division. "Because most adolescents were first vaccinated in this wave, evaluating their vaccine efficacy could provide an answer to the question. The results of the study unequivocally show that the vaccine is most effective in preventing Delta strain infection and preventing symptomatic disease one week after receiving two doses.
"The results of the study show that the potency of Delta strain is very similar to that observed in young adults against alpha strain in the past. These findings provide important and well-founded information for parents who are undecided about vaccinating their adolescent children."
Yesterday (Wednesday) were findings from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which indicated a similar effectiveness of the vaccine among the same age group in the United States. This study also addresses the effectiveness of Pfizer vaccines in preventing hospitalizations - 93%.
The health system hopes that these data will encourage teenagers to get vaccinated, as it turns out that many have not yet done so: 32% of 12- to 15-year-olds have not been vaccinated, and 13% of 16- to 18-year-olds have avoided it.