"Pfizer Vaccine Effectiveness Drops Sharply from 88% to 47% After 6 Months"

Report Published in UK Medical Journal 'The Lancet'
Researchers: "Immune Effects Cannot Be Ignored... Effective Against Variants"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A study has found that the immune effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine drops sharply from 88% to 47% about six months after vaccination, nearly halving.

On the 4th (local time), a research report published in the British medical journal 'The Lancet' revealed this, stating that while the Pfizer vaccine was shown to effectively respond to the Delta variant, its effectiveness gradually declined over time.

The study, jointly conducted by the healthcare nonprofit organization Kaiser Permanente and Pfizer, analyzed the medical records of 3.4 million people from December last year to August this year, arriving at these results.

According to the study, the Pfizer vaccine showed an immune effectiveness of 93% against the Delta variant up to one month after completing vaccination, but this dropped to 53% after four months.

For other variant viruses, vaccine effectiveness decreased from 97% to 67% during the same period.

Despite these findings, the researchers emphasized that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine should not be overlooked.

Sarah Tatof of Kaiser Permanente, who participated in the study, said, "This study showed that the Delta variant does not evade the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine," adding, "If there had been no effect, the vaccine's effectiveness against the Delta variant would have been low from the start."

Pfizer stated, "This study shows that our vaccine is effective against all forms of variant viruses, including the Delta variant."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine last month on the 22nd for seniors aged 65 and older and high-risk groups for COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.