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Senior doctors congratulate on fourth vaccine approval: "If they had waited for the peak of the disease - it would have been too late" | Israel today

2022-01-03T00:24:16.216Z


People aged 60 and over and medical staff will be able to receive the additional dose • The vaccine will be given four months after the third dose • Prof. Zion Hagai, Chairman of the Medical Association: "The higher the number of infections, the higher the number of hospitalizations."


Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced yesterday that a fourth vaccine against Corona has been approved for those aged 60 and over and medical staff.

As mentioned, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Nachman Ash, announced last Thursday that he had decided to approve the fourth booster vaccine only for vaccine-suppressed people and the elderly in nursing homes, which make up about 25,000 people. Which recommended on December 21 to start an immediate vaccination platform for all people aged 60 and over, health workers and those who have suppressed the immune system, a population of more than 1.5 million people.

Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Nachman Ash, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

"Israel Today" has learned that after Prof. Ash's announcement, Prof. Zion Hagai, chairman of the Medical Association, approached him on Saturday, asking him to approve and improvise the fourth vaccine for health care workers and all those aged 60 and over.

Following this, a special meeting was held yesterday between the two together with Prof. Galia Rahav and other senior doctors, and those present were unanimous that one should not wait with the approval of the fourth vaccine for this large population.

In a conversation with Israel Today, Prof. Hagai also said that "it is worth vaccinating the population at high risk for the disease and those aged 60 and over, since there is a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine after five months, and certainly in relation to Omicron.

Even before Prime Minister Bennett's approval, some senior doctors stressed the importance of the fourth vaccine for the entire at-risk population.

Corona vaccine effective in the Barkan industrial area of ​​Ariel, Photo: Yossi Zeliger

Prof. Galia Rahav, director of the Department of Infection Prevention at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer and one of the most important doctors in the Israeli struggle in Corona, told Israel Today that "it is important to remember that if we waited and offered vaccinations to people aged 60 and over too late. The recommendation was received after a very serious and professional discussion. Among other things, we relied on the data from the study I conducted, together with Prof. Yael Peled from the Heart Transplant Unit, who showed the decrease in protection given by the third vaccine to transplant recipients, so I recommended a vaccine for immunosuppressants and the elderly. "

Prof. Eli Schafercher, Vice President of Research, Development and Innovation at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, is considered one of the most prominent physicians in collecting and analyzing information about the corona, and his predictions are considered very accurate.

He also supported the provision of a fourth vaccine to a large population, which is much larger than the one decided by the director general of the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

It is true that the infection does not usually lead to a serious medical condition, but in view of the high rate of infection of the omicron and the isolation rules that are currently used, it is important to avoid damaging critical centers of activity, especially hospitals.

Therefore, in managing risks and opportunities, it seems logical to give a fourth dose to at-risk populations, including medical teams, right now. "

Prof. Eli Schafercher, Photo: Efrat Eshel

Prof. Masad Barhum, director of the Galilee Government Hospital in Nahariya, said that we should also "go back to the days of the zoom, stop conferences no matter what size, and tighten the belt on entrances from abroad at Ben Gurion Airport."

In addition to all this, and for fear of the health of the hospital staff, Dr. Erez Barenbaum, CEO of Assuta Hospital in Ashdod, calls for their immediate vaccination: "Our staff are at the highest risk of infection, we have no privilege to see them disabled."

It should be noted that in Sheba we updated yesterday regarding the preliminary results of a study on the safety of the fourth dose, which began last Monday at the hospital.

"Out of 154 vaccinated, similar to the third-dose response, about 80 percent reported mild local reactions," the hospital said.

"About 45 percent have systemic symptoms, including fever, weakness, muscle aches and headaches."

PM Bennett, Last night: A fourth vaccine was approved for those aged 60 and over // Photo: GPO

Meanwhile, a new study by the Research and Innovation Institute of the Maccabi Health Insurance Fund and the Technion showed that the effectiveness of the third vaccine dose decreases in reducing the viral load on the body, which affects the chances of contracting the corona to infect others as well. To the age of 20, and was held between June and November 2021, during which the Delta strain was dominant in Israel.

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Source: israelhayom

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