Israel began on Monday, July 12, administering a third dose of anti-coronavirus vaccines to patients with weak immune systems amid rising Covid cases linked to the spread of the Delta variant.
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Israel: Half of its population received a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine through an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer which quickly provided millions of doses to the country in exchange for data on the effects of its developed vaccine with the company BioNTech.
This campaign allowed two doses of the vaccine to be administered to more than 55% of the country's population, or even to about 85% of adults, which helped reopen cafes, bars and shops and a reduction in the number of cases of about 10,000 to less than 100 per day.
But in recent weeks, the number of cases has started to rise again against the backdrop of the spread of the delta variant of the virus, pushing the authorities to reimpose certain health measures such as wearing a mask in closed public places.
More than 400 new cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, up from around 200 per day on average a week ago.
In this context, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday that it had authorized the administration of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine to certain people with immunosuppression, that is to say whose immune system is particularly vulnerable and does not respond. not enough two doses of vaccine to protect against Covid-19.
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There is growing evidence that patients with immunosuppression do not develop a satisfactory level of antibodies after two doses of coronavirus vaccines, some may develop these antibodies after three doses,
" the ministry said. in a press release.
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In light of the increase in the number of cases in recent weeks and the high risk it poses for immunocompromised patients with serious illnesses, these patients can now receive a third dose of the vaccine,
" the ministry added, publishing a list of the types of patients who may require a third dose, such as those who have had an organ transplant.
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In the wake of the announcement, Sheba Hospital, located in the Tel Aviv region, announced that it had just administered third doses of the vaccine to vulnerable patients.
“
We made history today when we administered a 3rd dose of Pfizer vaccine to patients who received heart transplants
,” the hospital said in a statement.
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