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Israel will offer a 4th Covid shot to people 60 and over.

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Israel Approves 4th Covid Vaccine Dose for People 60 and Over

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel would offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to medical workers and people age 60 and above, making it the first country to broadly roll out an additional booster.

Israel started preparing for Omicron early on. This bought us time, which we’re using to our advantage. Last week, Israel began vaccinating its most vulnerable citizens with the fourth dose of the Covid vaccine. Tonight, I can announce that Israel will also begin administering the fourth vaccine to all Israelis age 60 and above, as well as our wonderful medical workers, four months after they’ve received their last dose, following the approval of Israel’s Ministry of Health. Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort. Omicron is not Delta — it’s a different ball game altogether. We must keep our eye on the ball, act swiftly and decisively if we want to continue engaging and working with an open country as much as possible throughout this pandemic.

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel would offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to medical workers and people age 60 and above, making it the first country to broadly roll out an additional booster.CreditCredit...Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday that Israel would offer a fourth Covid vaccine shot to people age 60 and over, as well as to medical workers, making it the first country to plan for an additional booster so broadly as it braces for a surge of infections from the Omicron variant.

“The Omicron wave is here,” Mr. Bennett said in a televised news conference.

He said the decision to introduce a fourth dose of vaccine for vulnerable people who had their last shot at least four months ago would provide Israel with “a new layer of protection.”

The Ministry of Health said it had approved the move in light of rising morbidity and the risk to older people.

Israel is reporting about 5,000 new daily cases, its highest figure since September. Mr. Bennett said that the peak of the Omicron wave, expected in the coming weeks, could bring up to 50,000 new cases per day.

New reported cases by day
Mar. 2020
Oct.
May 2021
Dec.
Jul. 2022
Feb. 2023
50,000
100,000 cases
7-day average
491
Source: Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The daily average is calculated with data that was reported in the last seven days.

The prime minister’s office said the new boosters would start on Monday.

But health ministry officials did not immediately present new data to back the decision to go ahead with a little-tested fourth dose on such a wide scale.

In recent days, the ministry first approved a fourth dose for people with weakened immune systems and then for the residents and staff of nursing homes. But health officials said they wanted to review more data from abroad about Omicron and about the value of added boosters before approving a fourth dose for the older population in general.

Israeli experts said it was not immediately clear what the new decision was based on.

Some experts have warned that it may be premature, and some have voiced concerns that a fourth shot in less than a year could actually weaken immunity.

But a panel of medical experts advising the Israeli government has recommended giving a fourth shot to those 60 and older, pointing to waning immunity in that age group, which was the first to receive the third shot starting in August.

Israel was a leader in rolling out the first round of Covid vaccinations and later in giving booster shots, so its results have been closely watched by the rest of the world.

Isabel Kershner, a correspondent in Jerusalem, has been reporting on Israeli and Palestinian politics since 1990. She is the author of “Barrier: The Seam of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” More about Isabel Kershner

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