The second recall of the anti Covid vaccine kicks off in Israel from next week for over 60s and health workers to counter the decline in vaccination efficacy. Germany is also discussing it
Israel it will be the first country in the world to offer its citizens the fourth dose from Covid vaccine in an effort to protect them from the Omicron variant. This was announced by the Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett.
For now the further booster intended for over 60, to health workers and immunosuppressed people with a less efficient immune system (such as someone with a fear or an organ transplant).
The administration will be possible starting from next week even without an appointment.
The prime minister, who spoke on Wednesday afternoon to the microphones of the public radio Kan says he hopes the variant Omicron is less violent than other strains of coronavirus, stressing that those who are most vulnerable must be protected as much as possible. The objective of the second recall therefore is to protect the most fragile population and consequently to avoid too much pressure on hospitals.
Second recall four months after the first
The decision was made after accepting the recommendation of the Scientific Technical Committee which suggests offering the fourth dose at least four months after the third.
The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive the third dose and we continue to be pioneers even with the fourth, said the premier expressing the belief that this will help us to cross the wave of Omicron that is sweeping the world.
The vaccination campaign
A year ago Israel was one of the first countries in the world to launch a worldwide mass vaccination campaign thanks to an agreement with drug manufacturers Pfizer / BioNTech: the country received early supplies of vaccines in exchange for sharing data on the impact of the vaccination campaign.
However only 63% of the 9.3 million population received two doses vaccine because there are pockets of hesitant among the Arab and ultra Orthodox communities.
The Omicron variant
The decision to start with the second booster dose comes as Israel prepares for a fifth wave of infection caused by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.
According to the health ministry, there are at least 340 known cases Omicron in Israel, which account for 10-15% of all coronavirus infections, and authorities predict that Omicron superer Delta to become the dominant strain within two weeks.
The decline in vaccine efficacy
Preliminary data not yet published indicate a decrease in vaccine efficacy Pfizer in Israel, even after three doses.
A German team reported a decrease of up to 25% from three months, but many studies are ongoing. There will be a loss of effectiveness against Omicron over time, very likely – he confirmed to the newspaper Le Monde
Ugur Sahin, director of the biotechnology company BioNTech which together with Pfizer created the first vaccine against Covid – but how quickly to measure. I will not base the predictions on preliminary laboratory data but on real data. obvious that we are far from the 95% effectiveness we had achieved against the initial virus. However, after the third injection our vaccine appears to provide 70% or 75% protection against any type of disease, which is still a good result for a vaccine in general and I think we will go above and beyond for severe forms.
In Germany
Also there Germany he is thinking about the fourth dose of the vaccine. The Minister of Health said so Karl Lauterbach explaining that the first recall may not be permanent or at least not last for a long time.
The minister also announced from Berlin that the government has already bought 80 million doses of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine specific against the Omicron variant which will probably arrive in April or May.
December 22, 2021 (change December 22, 2021 | 18:23)
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