Israel launches Covid booster shot campaign for over-60s

Israel launched a campaign Friday to give over-60s coronavirus booster shots, at a time when the rest of the world is still struggling to complete the standard course.

Kicking off the campaign, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, 60, received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv.

“We are beginning the booster vaccination” so that life in Israel can return to “normal” as soon as possible, Herzog said after getting the injection.

“I believe that it’s also a lesson to the entire humankind that we have to protect each other and take the necessary steps.”

An Israeli epidemiologist of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Hagai Levine, acknowledged his country was going it alone with third shots, which have yet to be approved in the United States or European Union.

“This decision is based on experts’ opinion, on logic but not on solid scientific evidence, but that is okay,” Levine told AFP.

Israel was quick to roll out its vaccination campaign and had dropped many restrictions on public gatherings in June, as new Covid-19 cases shrank from 10,000 a day to less than 100.

But infections have soared in recent weeks, and masks are once again mandatory in enclosed public places.

‘We can win together’

About 55 percent of Israel’s nine million population has been double vaccinated, most with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, thanks to a massive campaign launched in late December after an agreement with its developers.

About one million Israelis eligible for the shot, however, still refuse to be vaccinated.

Israel’s digitised medical databases allowed for rapid large-scale studies, and its initial vaccine rollout of the jab was among the world’s fastest.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced the start of the booster campaign for over 60s on Thursday, as concern mounts over the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

“Israel is a pioneer in going ahead with third doses for people of the age of 60 and above,” said the 49-year-old premier who accompanied Herzog to the hospital for the jab.

“Together means sharing information, together means sharing methods, technologies, insights and actionable steps,” said Bennett.

“We can win together.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, the longtime premier who Bennett ousted in June, also took a third jab on Friday.

In mid-July, Israel had already authorised the administration of a third vaccine dose for people with severe immunosuppression, since their condition made them vulnerable to the virus.

Need to ‘help all countries’

Pfizer, which produces the vaccine used in Israel, has said research shows that a third dose has neutralising effects against the Delta variant of Covid.

But the US Food and Drug Administration, whose recommendations Israel generally follows, has yet to give the green light to administering a third dose to the elderly.

In response to the news of Israel’s booster shot campaign the World Health Organization (WHO), which co-leads the Covax scheme for poorer countries, emphasised the need to roll out vaccines worldwide.

“The highest priority for vaccine suppliers, for countries that produce vaccines, for countries that are using vaccines… has got to be helping all countries get to at least 10 percent of their population vaccinated” by the end of September, the WHO’s Bruce Aylward told reporters Friday.

“It’s crucial to getting the entire world out of this pandemic.”

Israel recorded more than 2,100 Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours to Friday.

Over 160 people remain in serious condition out of a total of 286 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment, according to the health ministry.

Last month, health officials announced they would open up vaccination to children as young as 12, while earlier this week, they said those aged five to 11 at risk of serious health complications could be vaccinated from August 1.