The Israeli government announced it will offer a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to citizens over 60 years old, amid ongoing efforts to slow the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the CCP virus.
Israel had launched a national vaccination campaign in December 2020 and many seniors, regarded as among the more vulnerable in the population received their shots in the starting months of the rollout.
The country has seen more than 57 percent of its 9.3 million people fully vaccinated, with 63 percent having had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which uses mRNA technology.
Last week, the health ministry estimated the vaccine was only 41 percent effective at halting symptomatic infections over the past month. Protection against severe disease remained strong at 91 percent.
The booster campaign, with shots administered by health maintenance organizations, will effectively turn Israel into a testing ground for a third dose.
“Findings show that there is a decline in the body’s immunity over time. The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again, and thus reduce the chances of infection and serious illness significantly,” Bennett, 49, told a news conference.
In a statement translated from Hebrew, Bennett said, “We are embarking on the vaccines campaign to safeguard the older population in the State of Israel. From today there is a new mitzvah: ‘Vaccinate your father and your mother that they may live long.’”
Pfizer said Wednesday it believes people need the additional dose to maintain a high protection against the CCP virus, reported Reuters.
Earlier in July, Israel had begun giving people with weakened immune systems a third shot in efforts to further protect them against the CCP virus.
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