Over half of Israel's population above the age of 16 has been vaccinated against the virus, with an overwhelming majority of Israelis age 70 and older having received both doses of the vaccine.
As Israel's vaccination campaign proved successful and priority was given to Israelis age 60 and up, along with healthcare workers and people suffering from chronic conditions, the researchers noted that severe cases among the elderly had significantly dropped.
This was determined by Health Ministry data regarding COVID-19 patients requiring ventilation. According to their data, the ratio of ventilated COVID-19 patients over the age of 70 compared to under 50 dropped by 67% following the vaccination program. This means a ratio that was 6:1 in October-December 2020 dropped to nearly 1.5:1 by February.
“This study provides preliminary evidence at the population level for the reduction in risk for severe COVID-19, as manifested by the need for mechanical ventilation, after vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” Ben-Gurion University MD-PhD student Ehud Rinott of the Department of Public Heath in the Faculty of Health Sciences said in a statement.
“This real-world data adds evidence that receipt of COVID-19 vaccines by eligible persons can potentially reduce the occurrence of severe disease.”
The findings were published in the US Centers for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report last Friday.
These findings coincide with the release of a study from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, which found that Israel's excess mortality rate rose by 10% from March 2020 until December. However, this was not as bad as expected, compared to other developed countries.
The study found that this was due to Israel's efforts to protect its elderly population from the virus, limiting its impact on the mortality rate.