From around mid-July, the infection exploded in Israel, the country that was out early to vaccinate the population. In September, they had at most over 11,000 new cases in one day.
But then something happened. The infection gradually began to decrease, and in the last week there have been an average of 487 new cases of infection per day.
“Now life is, so to speak, back to normal, except that you have to wear a face mask indoors and have a corona passport that shows that you have been vaccinated or tested when you go to restaurants, for example,” says professor and infection specialist Eyal Leshem at Sheba Medical Center. Israel’s largest hospital, to TV 2.
– EXPERT: Professor and infection specialist Eyal Leshem at Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital. Photo: Sheba Medical Center
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Points to three observations
Leshem is in no doubt about what caused the infection to suddenly begin to decline in the middle of a period without any significant restrictions or closure: Vaccination with the third dose – a so-called refresher or booster dose – to those who took the second vaccine dose more than six months ago.
The professor points to three observations he believes can explain the development:
- We are seeing a continuous decline in the number of new infections and are down to around 200 new cases every day.
- The decline is taking place with the background that society is in full activity. Schools are open, trade is open, people meet and travel. And yet we do not see an increase.
- Over 65 percent of the population has been vaccinated with two doses, and over four million of them, equivalent to almost 50 percent, have received the booster dose.
“Combined, this reflects a very high level of immunity in the population, so even when a person is ill, most people around are protected against infection due to vaccination or undergoing coronary infection,” he sums up.
– A duplication of what we saw
The professor believes that there is reason to say that mass vaccination with the third dose had a great effect in Israel.
– We have good observations that show that the booster dose was the reason why we stopped the fourth wave here. Because in August we had more than 60 percent who had received two doses and yet the disease was escalating. But when the booster was rolled out, the protection against infection was increased and we saw a decrease in new cases of infection.
This makes Leshem clear in the belief that giving a third and refreshing dose of vaccine has a good effect.
– There is no other probable reason for this than the booster, because we did not have shutdown or severe restrictions at this time. So why should cases be reduced when the only thing we did was give people the booster? Then it must be the booster.
When asked if he thinks other countries should start giving the third dose to the entire adult population, he answers that the most important thing is to ensure that as many people as possible from the age of five and up receive two doses.
– It is the first priority, together with giving the third dose to those at high risk of serious illness and those who took the last dose more than six months ago. And after that, the booster program can be extended to the entire population. You can not give it to everyone at the same time, you have to prioritize.
Leshem thinks that Norway is now experiencing a record high level of infection, and that the hospitals are experiencing an increased number of admissions, both among fully vaccinated and unvaccinated, sounds familiar.
– What is happening now in Norway is a duplication of what we saw in Israel in August. When we started giving the booster in August, most people had been vaccinated, but among those vaccinated in January, protection had dropped. As soon as we gave two million booster doses, these cases disappeared.
Constantly evaluating the vaccine strategy
Director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Camilla Stoltenberg, tells TV 2 that a refreshing dose is very important for those over 65, and especially for the oldest in this group.
– We believe that it will be very important to reduce the number of admissions, because it is in that group that we see that the vaccines do not work so well anymore. And it is also this group that is overrepresented among those who are admitted to hospital.
– EVALUATE: Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Camilla Stoltenberg. Photo: Goran Jorganovich / TV 2
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– What happens to those under 65 in the future now, will they also be offered a third dose?
– We have a standing assignment to evaluate the vaccine strategy all the time, so one of the things we have done is to plan so that this group can also be relevant for a refresher dose. So we have already started working on that, and then comes the assessment of who, when and so on. For many, it is quite a long time until it can be relevant, because it should have been six months from the second to the third dose.
Stoltenberg does not rule out that a refresher dose also for those under 65 will help the number of hospitalizations due to covid-19.
– If it becomes relevant with the third dose for this group, does it apply to everyone, or are some groups the most relevant for?
– It is too early for me to answer now. But we look at all this.
200,000 have received the third dose in Norway
Stoltenberg is clear on what it takes to reduce the infection in the future.
– Vaccination will be very important, and it will be important with other infection control measures. And the most important thing is to stay at home if you are ill, so that you do not infect anyone further, and to get tested.
So far, about 200,000 elderly and health personnel in Norway have received the third vaccine dose, writes National Institute of Public Health.
The dose has so far been offered to people who are 65 years or older, as well as health personnel with patient contact. The registers also show that over 700 adults have taken their first vaccine dose every day in November on average.
On Thursday, it was also announced that FHI is considering changing the interval between the second and third vaccine dose. At a meeting with several Norwegian municipalities on Thursday, FHI announced that they are considering reducing the interval to five months, writes The Friend of the Fatherland.
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