This is according to a study by Tel Aviv University, Ben Gurion University and the Ministry of Health, which included 40,000 residents in the "Protection of Fathers and Mothers" program
A new study by Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Negev universities in collaboration with the Ministry of Health states: The fourth vaccine against the corona virus is effective in protecting the elderly population in nursing homes from the Omicron strain. The ground-breaking study included about 40,000 elderly Israelis who live in institutions that are under the supervision of the Ministry of Health's "Parental and Mother Protection". According to the results of the study, elderly people at risk who were vaccinated with Pfizer's fourth dose have a 34% reduced risk of contracting the Omicron strain, a 64% to 67% reduced risk of needing hospitalization due to corona, and a 72% reduced risk of dying from the disease.
The research was conducted under the leadership of Prof. Haitam Mohsen and Prof. Danny Cohen from the School of Public Health At Tel Aviv University, Prof. Ron Dagan from Ben Gurion University, Prof. Nimrod Maimon, Chairman of the Internal Medicine Division at Soroka Hospital, and until recently head of the Ministry of Health's "Protection of Fathers and Mothers" program, as well as program staff members Ami Mizrahi, Omri Bodenheimer, Boris Blinstaki , in collaboration with Leah Gaon and Zafira Hillel-Diamant from the Department of Geriatrics at the Ministry of Health. The study was published in the prestigious journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
A particularly vulnerable population
"Our study compared 24,088 residents of 'Meghan Avov and Mater' institutions who received the fourth dose of the Pfizer vaccine - that is, the second booster, compared to 19,687 residents who were vaccinated with the first three doses four months or more before the start of follow-up, but chose not to receive the second booster ”, explains Prof. Haitam Mohsen. "These are residents of geriatric institutions, old people's homes and sheltered housing that are included in the Ministry of Health's 'Parents and Mothers Protection' system, a total of about 1,000 institutions across the country. This is a particularly vulnerable population to infection, morbidity and mortality from the corona virus, both due to the nature and living conditions in the institutions, both due to the fact that many residents need help in performing daily activities and due to the underlying illnesses of many of the residents."
When the Omicron wave spread in Israel, between January and March of this year, there was not yet a registered and available vaccine for this strain, which underwent significant mutations in the "spike" protein that allows the virus to adhere to and penetrate human cells. Since the existing vaccines against Corona are directed against the spike protein, in Israel and in the rest of the world a discussion has arisen on the question of the effectiveness of the existing vaccines against the Omicron strain in general, and in particular on the question of giving a second booster dose. Israel was the first country to approve the second booster dose (fourth vaccination dose) for those aged 60 and over. The current study is based on data from the database of the population of "Meghan Avot va Imhom" which was the first large group to be given the second booster. Prof. Mohsen emphasizes that the new study is a study on a national scale, and that the study successfully addressed methodological problems that characterize observational epidemiological studies on the effectiveness of corona vaccines.
Cross-protection against the omicron strain as well
Prof. Mohsen: "We monitored the infections, hospitalizations and mortality in these two groups during the micron wave, and found that the group that received the fourth vaccine was infected at a reduced rate of 34% compared to the control group, was hospitalized with mild to moderate severity at a reduced rate of 64%, was hospitalized with a serious illness 67% less than the control group and reached mortality at a reduced rate of 72% less than the group vaccinated with the first three vaccines only. These data are significant because the population of 'Protecting Fathers and Mothers', which as mentioned is one of the populations with the most severe morbidity as a result of the corona virus, is at a much higher rate than the general population. We hypothesize that the fourth vaccine dose caused the creation and increase of the level of neutralizing antibodies, which conferred cross-protection also against the Omicron strain. The study indicates the considerable benefit of giving the fourth vaccine dose, and confirms that the policy of the State of Israel was correct. The decision to vaccinate at-risk populations with a fourth dose was a wise decision, which saved many human lives."
"This is a groundbreaking and innovative study based on a database of the elderly population in protected institutions. Previous studies were conducted in the general population, therefore also in relatively young populations with an average age of around 72 years, while the average age in our study was 80 years. Moreover, in general, people who go to be tested or vaccinated against Corona often tend to demonstrate positive health behavior, therefore it is very difficult to compare their morbidity levels with the morbidity levels among unvaccinated people or those who have been vaccinated with three doses. Although we have no information why some residents chose not to be vaccinated with the fourth dose of the vaccine, both groups in our study underwent routine and 'blind' corona tests conducted according to a uniform protocol of 'protecting fathers and mothers' - regardless of receiving the vaccine. Therefore, our research is less affected by the 'healthy vaccine effect', and it is possible to extrapolate its results to other populations, in Israel and around the world."
According to Prof. Danny Cohen, "the study foreshadows that the administration of boosters and raising the level of antibodies through a vaccine based on the original strain of the corona virus provides significant protection against the onset of severe disease even after infection with new variants, even distant from the source, such as the Omicron."
Prof. Nimrod Maimon adds that "the task of protecting the out-of-home housing institutions is an extremely important pillar within the Ministry of Health's 'Defender of Israel' program." The database that was built and accumulated in the project regarding the institutions and the residents, it is possible to carry out effective and quick vaccination operations, which produced dramatic results in curbing the corona disease among the residents of the institutions. These impressive results of the 'Protection of Fathers and Mothers' program received a wide international response, as well as inquiries from health authorities in many countries around the world who wanted to learn from the program." Prof. Ron Dagan concludes that the results presented in this article once again demonstrate the critical role of vaccines, using structured and effective systems in curbing waves of severe morbidity and mortality in at-risk populations.
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