Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has announced that all Israelis over the age of 60 and medical staff will be able to benefit from a fourth dose of the covid-19 vaccine amid an outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
During a pandemic-focused press conference, Bennett confirmed that the Department of Health had approved the fourth dose, two days after it was given to vulnerable groups.
“The Omicron variant is here and we need to protect ourselves,” Bennett said.
Health authorities gave the green light for the fourth dose to immunocompromised people on Thursday, following a booster campaign last summer.
Shortly after the start of the vaccination of the immunocompromised citizens, the director of the Ministry of Health, Nahman As, approved the immediate administration of a 4th dose for the nursing home inmates and the patients of geriatric wards.
Israel on Sunday announced 4,206 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours and a 195% increase over the past week, which could soon intensify the pressure on the health system.
“We may have 50,000 new cases a day soon,” warned Bennett, who reiterated his call for mass vaccinations of adults and children who have not yet been vaccinated.
In a country of 9.2 million people, where more than 50% of the population has already received a booster dose, serious cases are currently focusing on the unvaccinated, according to data released by the authorities.
A total of 1,394,407 infections have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic in Israel, of which 8,244 deaths, according to official figures.
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