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Coronavirus pandemic
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Amid Delta variant surge, Israel to offer Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to adults at risk

  • Israel said about half of the 46 patients hospitalised in severe condition are vaccinated, and the majority have weak immune systems
  • PM Naftali Bennett said he has agreed with Pfizer to bring forward the next delivery of doses to August 1, as the country experienced supply gaps

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An Israeli medical worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: AFP
Reuters
Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but it was still weighing whether to make the booster available to the general public.
The rapid spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant has sent vaccination rates in Israel back up as new infections have risen from single digits to around 450 a day over the past month, and the country has moved to fast track its next Pfizer shipment.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that effective immediately, adults with impaired immune systems who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine could get a booster shot, with a decision pending on wider distribution.

Pfizer and partner BioNTech, the main suppliers in a swift Israeli vaccination roll-out that began in December, said on Thursday they will ask US and European regulators within weeks to authorise booster shots.

The two companies cited an increased risk of infection after six months in seeking permission for a third shot.

Drawing criticism from some scientists and officials, the companies did not share the data showing that risk, but said it would soon be made public. They also cited recent Israeli data.

“We are examining this issue and we still do not have a final answer,” Horowitz, speaking on Kan public radio, said about a booster for the general population in Israel.

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