THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images
Israel approved a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot for its most vulnerable citizens on Thursday.
“Israel’s strategy for overcoming Omicron is clear: the greater the wave, the greater the protection we will need to overcome it,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday.
The second booster will be available to those with weakened immune systems. An Israeli hospital administered fourth shots of the Pfizer vaccine to a test group of health workers on Monday, but has yet to decide on whether or not to approve it for the general population.
Nachman Ash, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director-general, did not announce a timeline for a second booster to be approved for wider use.
“In light of the existing gaps in knowledge in the world about the effectiveness of a fourth dose, in the present situation, we are acting cautiously and responsibly,” Ash said.
“If we see signs showing severe illness is expected to rise among the older populations then we will make that decision,” Ash added. “The challenge is to make it early enough to vaccinate them in time.”
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
