Hacker News Reader

> Full vax is only 80% effective? This is quite a bit lower than what the news has been reporting, in the mid-to-high 90's

mid-to-high 90s is cited as the effectiveness at preventing severe COVID or hospitalization. Effectiveness at preventing detectable infection is obviously going to be lower, because asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic infections can occur.

View on HN

No, the CDC says

Based on evidence from clinical trials in people 16 years and older, the Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) vaccine was 95% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 in people who received two doses and had no evidence of being previously infected.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different...

"Laboratory-confirmed infection". Not severe or hospitalized.

You misrepresented the results of the original study as per above. The vaccine is 80% effective at preventing infection in frontline health workers (who are at elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19). It is 95% effective at preventing infection across the general population.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com