By Charlotte Webster-
Israel has today said that the application of its third vaccine booster is seeing results in reducing the spread of the virus in its country.
Israel, which is ahead of both the UK and the U.S in terms of its vaccine roll out, has been battling a surge in the Delta variant.
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The announcement comes just three days after the Uk announced plans to implement a third booster of the vaccine to the most vulnerable next month.
People aged 60 in Israel and older have began receiving their third doses of the vaccine since July, before the minimum age of eligibility was dropped to 50, with health ministry officials citing waning immunity from earlier vaccinations and Delta’s high infectiousness.
Israel’s health ministry said on Friday that boosters will be administered to people aged 40-plus whose second shot was at least five months ago. It recommended teachers, health workers, careers of elderly people, and pregnant women of all ages have the vaccine.
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The U.S recently announced plans to offer booster shots to all Americans, citing data showing revealing falling rates of protection for those with just two shots of the vaccine. Canada, France and Germany have also announced booster campaigns.
“If you go get vaccinated with a third shot we will be able to avoid a fourth lockdown,” Bennett said on Friday before receiving his booster jab live on social media. He said Israel would share its data.
The UK today agreed to buy 35 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a way to “future-proof” the jabs programme.
It comes as the government prepares to roll out booster shots from next month – while the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said such shots should be delayed to raise vaccination rates globally.
Added Protection
The booster is said to provide added protection to the fully vaccinated as the COVID-19 delta variant surges across the country. The plan comes as research shows that the effectiveness of the vaccines can decline.
“Recent data makes clear that protection against mild and moderate disease has decreased over time,” US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said. “This is likely due to both waning immunity and the strength of the widespread delta variant.”
Under The White House plan, boosters can be administered eight months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Murthy says those who were vaccinated early on will be eligible for the booster first, and priority will go to those most vulnerable, including health care workers, nursing home residents and seniors.
“While we continue to build this wall of defence from COVID-19, it’s also vital we do everything we can to protect the country for the future too – whether that’s from the virus as we know it or new variants,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.
“I am pleased we’ve reached this agreement with Pfizer for more doses as part of our robust preparations to future-proof our vaccine programme, ensuring we have plans in place to keep the nation safe for years to come.”
No official decision has been given yet on a potential rollout of third doses, but plans are in place to enable a booster programme to begin in early September, alongside the flu jab, if advised.
However, the director of the WHO, Tedros Abhanom Ghebreyesus, said countries’ booster shots should be delayed by two months in order to raise vaccination rates in nations where only 1% or 2% of the population has been inoculated.
Mr Ghebreyesus warned stronger variants of coronavirus could develop if vaccination rates are not raised globally.
He said vaccines intended as booster shots should be donated to countries where people have not received their first or second doses.
“In addition, there is a debate about whether booster shots are effective at all,” Mr Ghebreyesus told a news conference during a visit to Budapest in Hungary.
Those with compromised immune systems should get a booster shot, though they represent only a small percentage of the population, he added.
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