Pfizer vaccine has different effects in different regions

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some media outlets have reported that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is effective in preventing the spread of the virus by 90 percent and 98 percent death caused by the disease.

But medical experts rejected this outcome of research, saying effects of the vaccines are different in different regions.

Deutsche Welle reported: “Israel’s Health Ministry on Saturday said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 98.9% effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19.”

The rate of COVID-19 infections also declined by 95.8 percent among people who received both shots of the vaccine, it said, adding the vaccine was also 98 percent effective in preventing infections that prompted fever or breathing issues.

Also, Azadi Radio released a report titled “Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been 99 percent effective in Israel.

It said: “Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been effective in Israel in preventing the disease and death from Covid-19.”

Raido Farda also aired a report titled: “The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been effectuve 99 percent in Israel.”

According to the report, the Israel Medical and Scientific Institution has conducted studies on people who have received the vaccine. As a result, they found the vaccine 99 percent effective in reducing Covid-related deaths.

But doctors say the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has various impacts in different areas.

Dr. Faridullah Omari, a trainer and specialist at the Antani Hospital, told Pajhwok the laim that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prevented 98 percent of deaths from Covid was the company’s propaganda.

He said all vaccines, including the Pfizer-BioNTech, had some effectiveness. “The impacts of vaccines are different in different areas. It may be the same in one region, but its effect could be different in another area.”

He said: “These studies have been conducted in their own countries. It may have this much efficiency in the country where the research was done, but this is not the case in other countries.”

Dr. Omari said: “For instance, the Indian vaccine arrived in Afghanistan soon after the Covid outbreak. All people believed this vaccine is ineffective, but subsequent research showed it was the best vaccine because its temperature was easily maintainable. All health centres as well as the people who received it are happy with the vaccine.”

Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), said: “The vaccine has not yet reached Afghanistan and we cannot make any comment on it.”

So far, he explained, four types of vaccines had been developed and approved by the World Health Organisation.

“The MoPH always strives and works for protecting the health of people. The vaccines we are applying currently have been approved by WHO and can be used in all countries,” he said.

The official added: “If the need for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is felt, we will talk to WHO to reach a conclusion in this regard.”

According to Zaman, so far at least 10 million people have received Covid-19 vaccines in the country. Of them, eight million were vaccinated for the second time.

Since 2019, 187,000 people have tested positive in Afghanistan and more than 7,750 have lost their lives to the disease.

sa/mud

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