Cases of contamination are exploding in Israel, while the population is widely vaccinated. Faced with this new wave, the head of the fight against the coronavirus, Salman Zarka, calls for preparation for the administration of a fourth dose of vaccine.
“Since the virus is here and will continue to be, we also need to prepare for a fourth injection (…) It’s our life from now on, in waves,” he said. on Kan public radio. He did not specify when this new injection could take place.
“And thinking about that and the decline in vaccines and antibodies, it seems like every few months – it could be once a year every five or six months – we’re going to need a new injection,” Salman explained. Zarka, reports the Times of Israel.
Decrease in vaccine efficacy over time
According to data recently published by the American health authorities, the effectiveness of vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) decreases over time. This is leading some countries to consider a booster dose.
The contagiousness of the Delta variant, which today represents almost all contaminations in Israel, prompted the government to launch a campaign for the third dose of vaccine in August. Israel was the first country to set up a recall campaign, and even extended this campaign to young people from the age of 12 last week. About 2.5 million Israelis have already received their third dose, according to the newspaper.
More than 62% of Israel’s population is now fully vaccinated. Thanks to a very rapid vaccination campaign, the country abandoned the barrier gestures in June, thinking it was done with the epidemic. However, the increase in cases forced the government to review its strategy, reinstating in August its health pass which had been abandoned a few weeks earlier.
While a third or even fourth dose may be needed to protect against coronavirus infections, the vaccines are all very effective against severe forms of the disease.