JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel is offering a booster dose to people over 60 who are already vaccinated against COVID-19.
Israel is thus the first country in the world to offer a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine to its citizens on a large scale.
“Tonight I announce the start of the campaign to receive the booster vaccine, the third vaccine,” Prime Minister Neftali Bennett said in a televised address to the nation. “The reality shows that vaccines are safe. Reality also shows that the vaccine protects against serious illness and death. And just like the flu vaccine that must be renewed periodically, it is the same in this case ”.
The announcement coincides with an increase in contagion and signs that the effectiveness of the vaccine is decreasing over time.
Bennett said President Isaac Herzog will be the first to receive the reinforcement on Friday. The general public will be able to receive it from Sunday.
He added that the first call he will make after the conference will be to his mother to encourage her to receive the injection.
Neither the United States nor the European Union has approved booster injections. It is not yet proven that it is necessary, and if so, who should receive it and when. The first comprehensive study of that strategy is just beginning in Norway.
Until now, booster doses were used in countries that apply Chinese and Russian vaccines.
Earlier this year, Israel carried out one of the most aggressive and successful vaccination campaigns in the world. More than 57% of the 9.3 million citizens have received two doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, and more than 80% of those over 40 are vaccinated.
Israel was able to reopen its economy before other countries. But there are signs that the vaccine is losing efficacy over time, and cases of the delta variant have been reported even in vaccinated people.
Those over 60 years vaccinated more than five months ago can receive the booster. Maccabi, one of the four public health organizations, said its members can register and that it will start giving vaccines on Sunday,
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