Bennett confirmed during a press conference dedicated to the epidemic that the Ministry of Health gave its approval for this dose two days after agreeing to give it to people at risk.
“The Omicron wave is here and we have to protect ourselves,” Bennett said.
The health authorities had given the green light to give the fourth dose to people whose immunity is considered weak, after the booster dose campaign last summer.
Shortly after the launch of the vaccination campaign for people with weak immunity, the Director of the Ministry of Health, Nachman Ash, authorized the administration of a fourth dose of the vaccine to elderly residents of nursing homes and patients in geriatric wards.
On Thursday, Israel received the first shipment of the anti-Covid-19 drug “Pfizer”, at a time when the number of infections continues to rise since the first infection with the Omicron mutant was detected in the country at the end of November.
In recent days, the spread of Omicron has contributed to a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 infections without translating, so far at least, into a noticeable increase in cases requiring hospitalization.
On Sunday, the authorities counted 4,206 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, an increase of 195% a week ago, which may rapidly increase the pressure on the health system.
“We can imagine 50,000 new infections a day soon,” Bennett warned, reiterating his call to get the vaccine for adults and children who have not yet been vaccinated.
The number of injuries in Israel has reached 1,394,407 since the beginning of the epidemic, resulting in 8,244 deaths, according to official figures.
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