Gibraltar, the British territory situated on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula is a tiny, compact place at just 2.6 square miles. Bordered to the north by Spain, Gibraltar is the most protected place on the planet as 100% of its population have been immunized against COVID-19—predominantly with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine known as BNT162b2. But in a situation that seems to play out over and over despite full vaccination, a serious surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections has Gibraltarians canceling Christmas events as residents are “strongly” discouraged from having guests over despite universal vaccination status. This is due to a government edict that started when a few breakthrough cases quickly “became even more exponential in the last few days,” leading to re-activated public health rules to stop transmission. A confluence of factors are likely involved, but a fundamental culprit appears to be the waning effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or its “durability.”
As the government announced recently, there are 359 active COVID-19 cases including 5 hospitalizations, which mirrors a general surge of cases throughout Europe. Since the onset of the pandemic, this British territory of 34,000 people reports 6,634 COVID-19 cases with 98 deaths.
Ranked as the most vaccinated spot on the planet, back in April the Wall Street Journal celebrated that life was getting back to normal thanks to the universal vaccines. A majority of the vaccination has been with the mRNA-based BNT162b2 from Pfizer-BioNTech. However, as TrialSite has learned from several studies, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine wanes in effectiveness over time. By month 6 the durability of the vaccine is in question, and after month seven one study revealed there was a negligible benefit. Hence, this is why there is an intense focus on boosters in many wealthy nations.
Christmas Cheer Gives Way to Pandemic Protection
So many people here were looking forward to a normal holiday season. Unfortunately, one would have hoped that with a 100% vaccinated population, Christmas 2021 would be not only merry but sociable. But unfortunately, COVID-19 breakthrough cases lead the government here to cancel a number of functions, including official Christmas parties, official receptions, and similar gatherings reports the government.