<p>Israel has registered eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and believes that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>An initial seven cases of the Indian variant were detected in Israel last week among people arriving from abroad and who have since undergone preliminary testing, the Health Ministry said.</p>.<p>"The impression is that the Pfizer vaccine has efficacy against it, albeit a reduced efficacy," the ministry's director-general, Hezi Levy, told Kan public radio, saying the number of cases of the variant in Israel now stood at eight.</p>.<p><strong>Read | </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/ccmb-testing-covid-19-vaccines-efficacy-against-sars-cov-2-double-mutation-variant-976291.html" target="_blank"><strong>CCMB testing Covid-19 vaccines' efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 double mutation variant</strong></a></p>.<p>The ministry did not immediately respond to a <em>Reuters</em> request for more details on the research into the Indian variant.</p>.<p>Britain and Ireland have also said they are investigating the variant after detecting it within their borders.</p>.<p>Israel, whose population is 9.3 million, has fully vaccinated around 81 per cent of citizens or residents over the age of 16. Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations are down sharply.</p>
<p>Israel has registered eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and believes that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it, an Israeli health official said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>An initial seven cases of the Indian variant were detected in Israel last week among people arriving from abroad and who have since undergone preliminary testing, the Health Ministry said.</p>.<p>"The impression is that the Pfizer vaccine has efficacy against it, albeit a reduced efficacy," the ministry's director-general, Hezi Levy, told Kan public radio, saying the number of cases of the variant in Israel now stood at eight.</p>.<p><strong>Read | </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/ccmb-testing-covid-19-vaccines-efficacy-against-sars-cov-2-double-mutation-variant-976291.html" target="_blank"><strong>CCMB testing Covid-19 vaccines' efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 double mutation variant</strong></a></p>.<p>The ministry did not immediately respond to a <em>Reuters</em> request for more details on the research into the Indian variant.</p>.<p>Britain and Ireland have also said they are investigating the variant after detecting it within their borders.</p>.<p>Israel, whose population is 9.3 million, has fully vaccinated around 81 per cent of citizens or residents over the age of 16. Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations are down sharply.</p>