The efficacies of COVID-19 vaccines have been confirmed to be almost equivalent to results produced in clinical trials, according to data collected from vaccination sites in the United States, Britain, Israel and other countries that started vaccinations ahead of Japan.
British statistical website Our World in Data reported that more than 180 million doses of the vaccine had been administered worldwide as of Tuesday.
In Israel, which has one of the most advanced vaccination campaigns, more than 40% of the population of 9.23 million people has received at least one dose.
Clalit, a medical organization in the country, announced Sunday that it recorded a 94% reduction in COVID-19 cases among 600,000 people who had been administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine compared to a control group of 600,000 people who had not been vaccinated. The number of serious cases was also reduced by 92%, the organization said.
In a clinical trial of the vaccine conducted by Pfizer Inc. involving about 40,000 people, vaccination reduced the number of cases by 95%, almost identical to the results in Israel's vaccination campaign.
In Britain, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford and other institutions announced that the effect of vaccinations is beginning to be seen among people aged 80 and older, who are eligible for priority inoculations.
As of Feb. 9, the mortality rate among people aged 80 and older who have been infected with the virus had decreased by more than 30% compared to that of early January, according to the study.
In contrast, the mortality rate reduced only 10% to 20% among people aged 65 to 79, who are in lower priority groups for vaccinations.
Ken Ishii, a professor of vaccine science at the University of Tokyo, said, "The results of the clinical trials have been reproduced [in actual vaccinations]. It's welcome news in terms of reassurance."
Moves to issue "vaccine passports" have also been spreading, to guarantee freedom of movement and help rebuild economic activities.
Israel has begun issuing certificates to those who have completed the second round of vaccinations. The holders of the certificates can go to cinemas and hotels, as well as travel freely domestically and overseas.
According to media reports, Denmark and Sweden are also developing systems to display digital vaccination certificates on mobile phones, but there is no common format for certificates in each country, and entry regulations are out of step.
U.S. technology giant Microsoft Corp. and other companies are developing a universal electronic certificate to show vaccination history, according to a January announcement.
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