- Israel is launching a new campaign to provide Covid-19 booster shots for people over 60 years of age.
- Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received his third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
- This will happen when the rest of the world is still struggling to roll out an effective vaccine program.
While the rest of the world is still struggling to complete the standard curriculum, Israel launched a campaign on Friday to provide people over 60 with a booster injection of the coronavirus.
At the beginning of the campaign, 60-year-old Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv.
“We are starting to step up vaccination” so that life in Israel can return to “normal” as soon as possible, Herzog said after receiving the injection.
“I believe that we must protect each other and take necessary measures. This is also a lesson for all mankind.”
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Hagai Levine, an Israeli epidemiologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, admitted that his country is in the process of giving a third injection alone, but it has not yet been approved in the United States or the European Union.
Levine told AFP: “This decision is based on expert opinions and logic, not reliable scientific evidence, but it doesn’t matter.”
With the reduction of new Covid-19 cases from 10,000 per day to less than 100, Israel quickly launched a vaccination campaign and lifted many restrictions on public gatherings in June.
However, the number of infections has soared in recent weeks, and the use of masks is once again mandatory in closed public places.
‘We can win together’
Approximately 55% of Israel’s 9 million people have been vaccinated with dual vaccines, most of which have been vaccinated with Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, thanks to a large-scale campaign launched at the end of December after an agreement with the developer was reached.
However, about 1 million Israelis who are eligible for vaccination still refuse the vaccination.
Israel’s digital medical database allows rapid and large-scale research, and its initial vaccine launch is the fastest in the world.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Thursday the start of a booster campaign targeting the 60s because of growing concerns about the rapidly spreading variant of the Coronavirus Delta.
Bennett said:
Israel is a pioneer in providing a third dose of vaccine for people 60 years and older. Being together means sharing information, and being together means sharing methods, technologies, insights, and actionable steps. We can win together.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who was Bennett’s long-term prime minister deposed in June, also lashed out for the third time on Friday.
In mid-July, Israel has authorized a third dose of vaccine for severely immunosuppressed people because their condition makes them susceptible to the virus.
Need to “help all countries”
Pfizer, which produces the vaccine used in Israel, said that research has shown that the third dose has a neutralizing effect on the Delta variant of Covid-19.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration, which Israel generally follows its recommendations, has not yet approved the third dose of injections for the elderly.
In response to the news of Israel’s intensified injection campaign, the World Health Organization (WHO), which co-leads the Covax program for poorer countries, emphasized the need to introduce vaccines globally.
Bruce Aylward of the WHO told reporters on Friday:
The highest priority of vaccine suppliers, countries that produce vaccines, and countries that use vaccines…must be to help all countries reach “at least 10% of the population vaccinated” by the end of September.
“It is vital to get the whole world out of this pandemic.”
In the 24 hours as of Friday, Israel has recorded more than 2,100 Covid-19 cases.
According to the Ministry of Health, out of a total of 286 Covid-19 patients who have been hospitalized, more than 160 are still in serious condition.
Last month, health officials announced that they would open up vaccination to children as young as 12 years old. Earlier this week, they stated that it might start August 1 for children aged 5 to 11 who are at risk of serious health complications. vaccination.
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