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The Pfizer vaccine could stop people transmitting the coronavirus and slash infection rates, according to a new study.

At the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, patients who got second doses of the Pfizer jab produced 6-20 times more antibodies designed to combat the virus.

Of 102 medical staff surveyed, just two developed low amounts of antibodies and one suffered a compromised immune system.

Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of Sheba’s Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, told Ynet: “The results of the survey are in line with Pfizer’s experiment and even better than expected.

“I expect that the survey results of the other employees participating will be similar. There is certainly reason for optimism.”

She believes that people who received both doses of the vaccine are unlikely to become carriers of the virus.

According to another Israeli Health Ministry study, 82,567 people were infected within a week of getting their first shot.

This number had dropped to just 4,500 after 15 days.

Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the country would administer 170,000 jabs a day.

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By late March, the country is expected to have given it to 5.2 million of its citizens – and leads the world in vaccinations per person.

An Israeli hospital director earlier questioned the UK’s decision to delay a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Ronni Gamzu, who runs Tel Aviv’s Sourasky hospital, said scientists’ claims that the jab was 89% effective after just one dose were “very optimistic”.

He told Sky News a forecasted drop in infections was not reflected in Israel’s “real world findings”.

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Israeli officials have even claimed that protection from the first Pfizer jab may be as low as 3%.

However, England’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance rejected the claims.

He did admit "when you get into real-world practice things are seldom quite as good as clinical trials".

Sir Patrick added: "It probably won't be as high as that in practice, but I don't think it'll be as low as the figures you've just given."

• Coronavirus

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