Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 Vaccine Can Prevent Asymptomatic Infection, Study Shows

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) said that real-world data from Israel suggests that their COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective in preventing asymptomatic infections, thus having the potential to reduce transmission significantly.

• The companies also said the latest analysis of the Israeli data showed the vaccine was 97% effective in preventing symptomatic disease, severe disease, and death, in line with the 95% efficacy reported in December.
• The analysis also shows the vaccine’s effectiveness against a variant of COVID-19 first discovered in Britain, known as B.1.1.7.
• As infections due to the South African variant was limited, effectiveness against this variant was not evaluated.
• According to the analysis, unvaccinated individuals were 44 times more likely to develop symptomatic COVID-19 and 29 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who had received the vaccine.
• Israel’s Health Ministry previously found the vaccine reduces infection, including in asymptomatic cases, by 89.4% and in symptomatic patients by 93.7%.
• Also, around 600 children between the ages of 12 and 16 who have been given inoculated with PFE/BNTX shot in Israel did not experience any severe side-effects.
• Price Action: PFE shares are trading 0.2% lower at $34.87, while BNTX shares are up 4.13% at $102.10 in market trading hours on the last check Thursday.