Israeli data shows South African variant able to ‘break through’ Pfizer vaccine

In their study, the prevalence of the South African strain among vaccinated individuals who were infected despite their inoculation was eight times higher than its prevalence in the unvaccinated infected population. Though the number of such infections among the vaccinated was relatively small, the findings indicated that this variant was far more successful in getting through vaccinated individuals’ defenses than other strains.

“Based on patterns in the general population, we would have expected just one case of the South African variant, but we saw eight,” Prof. Adi Stern, who headed the research, told The Times of Israel. “Obviously, this result didn’t make me happy.”

Seems like “breaking thru” is defined as testing positive with a WFlu version after you’ve been vaccinated for any version. OK.
Um, if all you do is test positive for having the (new)virus in you but you don’t get sick; so bloody what? One purpose of a vaccine is to keep you from getting sick, or, at least minimize the symptoms.
However, any vaccine (to still be called a vaccine) darn well ought to keep you from being a carrier of any version. If it fails that second purpose, it ain’t a vaccine. At best all it is is a fancy, $$ version of that “hydro-thingie” that DJTrump touted early on as a means of reducing sickness and death. The one that the MSM claimed was as bad as drinking chlorox.
The word vaccine needs to be dropped. It is not. What can be used in lieu of it?

“Notice the “8x more likely to get the variant IF YOU TOOK THE PFIZER VACCINE”. Be prepared and be ready fear amongst the idiots will be through the roof.”
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You were right and they already appeared. The reference study, which was actually well designed for its purpose, can apparently be easily misunderstood by a casual reader or used by some to completely mislead.

This article is among the better written on the study and, IMHO, didn’t try to misrepresent what the Israeli study looked at and what it found. Following is a summary of the study that I posted several other times to try to clarify the study:

The folks who conducted the study picked 400 UNVACCINATED people who TESTED positive for COVID-19. They may or may not have been symptomatic. Of these 400 COVID-19 “cases”, 0.7% (probably 3 cases) were of the South African variant and 99.3% (probably 397 case) were of other COVID-19 variants as determined by molecular testing. These 400 cases represent the “control” and should roughly show the size of the South African variant circulating in Israel as a percentage of COVID-19 cases. As the “control” population of 400 COVID-19 infected people UNAFFECTED BY PRIOR VACCINATION it will be what is used to “measure” how effective the vaccine is for both South African and non South African variants. If the vaccine is equally effective against both variants we’d expect to see similar breakdown (i.e., 99.3% and 0.7%) in the vaccinated group below.

The folks who conducted the study ALSO picked 400 VACCINATED (not necessarily fully vaccinated with 2 shots) people who also had TESTED positive for COVID-19 subsequent to their vaccination. They also may or may not have been symptomatic. Of this 2nd group of 400 COVID-19 “cases”, 5.4% (probably 22 cases) were of the South African variant and 94.6% (probably 378 case) were of other COVID-19 variants. This study (well designed, IMHO) has results that CLEARLY show that the South African variant is clearly much more likely to “breakthrough” than are the non South African variants. THAT’S ALL IT SHOWS AND THAT WAS WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED TO LOOK FOR. It certainly does NOT show you’re more likely to get infected by the South African variant if you’re vaccinated than if you were NOT vaccinated as some of the MATH CHALLENGED are alleging.

You are not more likely to get the variant if you took the Pfizer vaccine.

You are much less likely to get any strain of COVID if you are vaccinated.

Out of the small number of cases where vaccinated people did get COVID, a higher proportion of those cases were the South African Variant.

Overall though, hugely reduced risk of any COVID whatsoever, among the vaccinated.

When vaccinated people do contract COVID however, it is significantly less serious, and less fatal for them, than for the unvaccinated.

“You are much less likely to get any strain of COVID if you are vaccinated.”
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Yep, the researchers likely quickly found 400 unvaccinated among those testing positive for current COVID-19.

It would have taken far longer before they finally found 400 who had been vaccinated. And the great bulk of these 400 vaccinated would not have even been symptomatic and likely none seriously ill. And that would likely apply to both the South African and non-South African variants.

BeauBo, keep up the good work. You suffer a lot of slings and arrows and don’t let those attacks and insults deter you.

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