:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/71ee3272-f09a-11eb-b954-02c309bc01c1.jpg "Israel offers third shot to over-60s | Abroad")
People have so far received two shots with the corona vaccine. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed the arrival of the “additional vaccination campaign” on television. The official kick-off will take place on Friday. President Isaac Herzog then has himself pricked for the third time. He will be the first in the campaign, but will not be the first Israeli. For a few weeks now, the so-called booster shots already administered to residents with weak immune systems.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett previously called on unvaccinated people to get a shot.
Ⓒ AP
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The third dose follows at least five months after the second shot, in the hope that the elderly will remain well protected against Covid-19. Commission members reportedly could not agree on the age at which people would be eligible for the extra dose: 60, 65 or 70. That is why a top executive of the Ministry of Health was given the final say.
Children
Israel will also start vaccinating vulnerable children in the age group of 5 to 11 years against the corona virus from next month. These are children who, due to their health condition, are at risk of serious complications after being infected with the virus. They receive a 0.1 milliliter Pfizer/BioNTech dose, three times less than the standard vaccination.
The country is one of the world’s leaders in the field of vaccination, but still has to deal with a rapid spread of the delta variant, the Indian mutation. Many unvaccinated young people in particular become infected, but according to the newspaper The Jerusalem Post, it is also increasingly common for elderly people who were vaccinated five to six months ago to test positive again.
Green Pass
The authorities have also reintroduced the so-called ‘Green Pass’ programme. People aged 12 or older must be able to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated, recovered from the virus or tested negative in the past 72 hours if they go to sites with more than 100 people. Such proof may be required, for example, at sporting events, in restaurants or in houses of worship. Tourists are still not welcome in the country that normally welcomes thousands of pilgrims from all over the world every year.
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