JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel has expanded the population that will be able to receive the booster vaccine against COVID-19 and will now offer it to everyone 12 years and older.
The decision, approved Sunday, is the latest in a campaign to beef up vaccination that began last month with people over 60. Over recent weeks, it has gradually been expanded to include those over 50, then over 40, and then over 30. Some 2 million people – more than 20% of the country’s 9 million inhabitants – have received the third vaccine.
Israel was one of the first countries to vaccinate its population, allowing the government to remove many of the restrictions on social and economic activity. However, it now suffers from one of the fastest rates of infection in the world due to the contagious delta variant and has reimposed orders to wear masks and limit the size of concentrations of people.
Israel approved the campaign to apply a booster vaccine due to evidence that the vaccine loses efficacy over time. He currently offers the booster to anyone who has been vaccinated for at least five months. Preliminary data indicate that the booster vaccine is curbing the spread of the delta variant and preventing those affected from suffering severe symptoms.
“The third vaccine works,” declared Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, urging the population to go and receive the third dose.
“The results are there, but the mortality rate has started to decrease. However, we still have the most intense phase of the campaign ”, he added.
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