Key TakeawaysPfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is extremely effective at preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of the disease.Research has shown that the vaccine is 94% effective at asymptomatic cases of COVID-19.Doctors say that it’s likely the other COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. will have similar results.

Key Takeaways

Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is extremely effective at preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases of the disease.Research has shown that the vaccine is 94% effective at asymptomatic cases of COVID-19.Doctors say that it’s likely the other COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. will have similar results.

Data suggest that thePfizer-BioNTech vaccineis highly effective at preventing COVID-19 in people who are fully vaccinated against the virus.

On March 11, 2021, Pfizer made the announcement that its mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 was 94% effective at preventing asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Types of COVID-19 Vaccines

The findings were taken from de-identified patient data in Israel. The data was collected between January 17 and March 6, 2021—during which time the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the only COVID-19 vaccine available in the country. It’s also worth noting that at the time, the predominant strain of the virus was B.1.1.7, theU.K. variantof SARS-CoV-2.

The data showed that the vaccine was at least 97% effective against symptomatic cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations, severe and critical hospitalizations, and deaths.

Ask an Infectious Disease Expert: Will COVID-19 Vaccines Work Against New Variants?

Ina press release, Professor Yeheskel Levy, the director of the Israel Ministry of Health, said, “This clearly demonstrates the power of the COVID-19 vaccine to fight this virus and encourages us to continue even more intensively with our vaccination campaign. We aim to achieve even higher uptake in people of all ages, which gives us hope of regaining normal economic and social function in the not so distant future.”

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What about the Other COVID-19 Vaccines?

Timothy Murphy, MD, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, tells Verywell that the findings are “not surprising” but that “it’s important to have the data." The next question is: Will the same hold true for other vaccines authorized in the United States?

Watkins says that it’s a “reasonable assumption” that theModernaandJohnson & Johnson vaccineswill offer similar protection against the virus. However, he adds that “further studies are needed to test that hypothesis.”

Murphy agrees but says that he’s “more confident saying that” the Moderna vaccine will have similar results because it’s also anmRNA vaccinelike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Moderna Developing COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot To Address Variants

That said, even the most effective vaccine is only going to work if people get it. For now, the goal is simply getting shots into more arms. “Hopefully, widespread vaccination will be the tipping point that leads to the end of the pandemic,” Watkins says.

What This Means For YouData show that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, dramatically lowering the risk that people fully vaccinated against the virus will make others sick.

What This Means For You

Data show that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, dramatically lowering the risk that people fully vaccinated against the virus will make others sick.

How To Sign Up For a COVID-19 Vaccine In Every State

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

Correction-October 15, 2022:This article was updated to clarify Pfizer’s statement applies to how well vaccines protect against COVID-19 infection, not transmission.

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pfizer.Real-world evidence confirms high effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and profound public health impact of vaccination one year after pandemic declared.

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pfizer.Real-world evidence confirms high effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and profound public health impact of vaccination one year after pandemic declared.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pfizer.Real-world evidence confirms high effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and profound public health impact of vaccination one year after pandemic declared.

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