JERUSALEM, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) – Israel on Sunday launched a campaign to give a third injection of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to people over the age of 60 who already received their second injection more than five months ago.
Israel’s four national health insurance funds reported a high attendance rate on the first day of the new program. Some 38,000 people received a third dose on the first day, and an additional 219,000 people have made an appointment for the next few days, they said.
CEOs of health insurance funds told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz that growing demand has been reported across the country for a third dose, according to a statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr Bennett urged those eligible for the booster shot to “come get the shot immediately,” saying the goal is to inoculate a third dose every over 60 by the end of August, according to the press release.
Health authorities in the United States and the European Union have not yet approved inoculation of a third dose.
The country reported 1,974 new cases on Sunday, bringing the cumulative total of infections in Israel to 875,801, according to the health ministry. End
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