It said those eligible for the fourth dose could receive it at least four months after the third dose. In Israel, almost all vaccinated citizens receive the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
One of the members of the expert panel told Israeli radio on Tuesday evening that the decision to recommend a fourth dose was not an easy one.
“As we have decided on the third dose, we do not yet have data on the level of immunity, but on the other hand, there is very alarming data in other parts of the world,” said Professor Kalia Rahav. .
“In a situation like this, if you don’t act immediately, you lose the train,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett welcomed the proposal and encouraged citizens to take the shot as soon as possible.
“Great news, don’t waste time – get vaccinated,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
Bennett praised Israel’s efforts to deal with the virus so far, saying the country continues to be “at the forefront of the global effort to deal with the epidemic.”
“Israeli citizens were the first in the world to receive the third dose of the COV-19 vaccine, and we continue to be pioneers in the fourth dose,” he said.
So far, so good.
When it comes to Govt-19, it appears that Israel is leading the way, while other parts of the world are following suit, giving the country a glimpse into the future of the epidemic for almost a year.
Israel has been at the forefront of releasing vaccines for adults and adolescents, pioneering the vaccine passport, and in recent months, has been at the forefront of using booster shots.
By the end of July, the country began offering booster vaccines to people over 60; From late August, boosters are available to anyone over the age of 16, five months after the second dose of the vaccine.
At present, a person is not considered fully vaccinated in Israel until they have received the third dose – once they qualify.
For more than three months, Israeli health officials say the data is clear: booster shots helped reduce the fourth wave of the virus that hit the country in August and September.
However, three doses appear to be inadequate, with Tuesday’s announcement marking the impact of the fifth wave.
The number of new Govt cases in Israel rose to 1,300 on Monday, which had not been reached since mid-October.
Meanwhile, the country’s R coefficient – the number of cases per person infected with Govt – 19 – rose to 1.28, its highest level since early August when Israel was at the height of the fourth wave.
The government’s cabinet working on the driving policy for the epidemic met on Tuesday and decided on several new measures in the wake of the new wave of infections brought on by Omigron.
They said children living in areas where vaccinations are less common than those under the age of 18 could withdraw from online schooling earlier this week.
In areas with high Govt case numbers, known as red or orange communities, at least 70% of children will be taught in school only to classes that have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Classes with lower vaccination rates will be taught online.
The new policy will take effect immediately for children 13 years of age and older; For small children, it will take effect in three weeks, they said.
It will also increase the need for Israelis to produce their own vaccine. For example, it is now mandatory to show a pass to enter or work in a large store of 100 square meters (approximately 1,076 feet).
On Sunday, the public sector will halve the number of employees working on the site, which will be at least a month. Over the weekend, Bennett called on private sector businesses to encourage employees to work from home as much as possible.
Recent government data in Israel show 341 confirmed cases of the Omigron variant. Two-thirds of those cases were fully vaccinated or had recently recovered from the disease. In addition, there are more than 800 suspected cases of the Omicron variant.
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