{"id":137140,"date":"2021-08-29T16:43:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-29T16:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=137140"},"modified":"2021-08-29T16:43:29","modified_gmt":"2021-08-29T16:43:29","slug":"israel-offers-covid-19-booster-to-all-vaccinated-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/markets\/israel-offers-covid-19-booster-to-all-vaccinated-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel offers COVID-19 booster to all vaccinated people"},"content":{"rendered":"
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel on Sunday began offering a COVID-19 booster to children as young as 12, and its prime minister said a campaign that began a month ago among seniors has slowed a rise in severe illness caused by the Delta variant.<\/p> Announcing the decision, top Israeli health officials said the effectiveness of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine waned six months after administration, making a booster necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cThe third dose brings us to the level of protection achieved by the second dose, when it was fresh,\u201d said Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health at Israel\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means, people are 10 times more protected after the third vaccine dose,\u201d she told a news conference, where the expanded booster drive was announced.<\/p>\n Those eligible for the third shot can receive it provided at least five months have passed since their second jab – a timeframe shorter than an eight-month interval in effect in the United States, which is considering cutting the waiting time.<\/p>\n Hoping to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Israel began administering the booster to its older population a month ago and has been gradually lowering the age of eligibility. It stood at 30 before Sunday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n So far 2 million people out of a population of 9.3 million have received three doses.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are already results: the increase in severe morbidity has begun to slow,\u201d Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. \u201cBut we have to complete third doses for all of our citizens. I call on those aged 12 and up to go out and immediately take the third shot.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel and other countries have pressed ahead with booster plans despite opposition from the World Health Organization, which said more of the world should be vaccinated with a first dose before people receive a third.<\/p>\n The United States has said it will offer booster doses to all Americans, citing data showing diminishing protection. Canada, France and Germany have also planned booster campaigns.<\/p>\n