A medical worker prepares a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in the central Israeli town of Kfar Chabad, on March 1, 2021. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
JERUSALEM, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A new study has found that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 82 percent effective among those 16 to 64 years-old who recovered from the virus, the Clalit Health Services said Thursday.
It also found that the vaccine is 60 percent effective among the recovered patients aged 65 and older, said the Israeli largest health maintenance organization.
In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Clalit, Sapir Academic College and Ben Gurion University examined the effectiveness of the vaccine among recovered patients in preventing re-infection with the virus.
The study, which included 149,032 patients, did not detect a significant difference in vaccine effectiveness between those previously infected whether they received one dose or two.
Sapir's senior researcher Ronen Arbel said that "recovery from COVID-19 is like getting a primary vaccination. It is best to get vaccinated to boost the infection-induced immunity, and one vaccination is enough."
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Israel surpassed 3.5 million, reaching 3,508,222 after 21,239 new infections were reported on Thursday, said the Israeli Health Ministry.
The national death toll rose by 24 to 9,768, while 858 patients remained in serious condition, down from 913, the ministry added.
