Israel is the first in the world to launch a fourth-dose revaccination program

Israel is the first country in the world to launch a fourth-dose revaccination program. The extra booster should help protect healthcare workers and the elderly from the new omicron strain, writes Bloomberg.

As Prime Minister Naftali Bennett explained, "The citizens of Israel were the first to receive the third vaccine, and we continue to lead the way with the fourth vaccine." He ordered the authorities to prepare for a new nationwide vaccination campaign. The fourth injection will be available four months after the third dose. The recommended interval between the second and third components will also be reduced from five to three months. So far, only elderly people 60+ and healthcare workers can apply for an additional booster dose.

The decision to offer another booster against covid was taken despite the fact that there is not a lot of data in the country confirming the effectiveness of such a dosage against Omicron. The head of Israel's Public Health Service, Sharon Alroy-Preis, told a meeting of government officials and medical experts that the trial had not yet been carried out even in the country's only leading hospital. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the meeting participants voted for the fourth vaccination - as the head of the infectious diseases department of the Sheba Medical Center, Galia Rahav, explained to the agency, this is a "calculated risk." “It's much more elegant to make decisions when you have solid data. But if we wait for accurate data, it will be too late,” Rahav said.

• On December 8, Pfizer announced that a booster dose of its vaccine provides protection against Omicron by increasing antibody levels by 25 times. A similar statement was issued by Moderna - according to the company, the third dose of the drug at 50 micrograms - the recommended amount for revaccination - gives a 37-fold increase in neutralizing "omicron" antibodies, Moderna notes. Revaccination with a full dose - 100 mcg - increases the amount of antibodies by 83 times.
• The director of the Gamaleya Center Alexander Gintsburg stated that the Sputnik V vaccination scheme with revaccination by Sputnik Light "provides today, on the sample that has been analyzed, complete protection against the omicron strain."