On a day when the number of booster vaccines in Israel reached three million, he faced his most significant challenge: the
recommendation of the FDA Advisory Committee, which seeks to approve a booster vaccine only for those aged 65 and over, health workers and patients at risk.
A decision is controversial and stormy because of what is not in it, and not because of what is in it.
Similar to the decision made at the end of July in Israel, it seems that in the United States, too, the booster vaccination campaign will begin with a focus on the elderly and sick population.
What is not in the decision?
There is no recommendation to vaccinate 16-year-olds and older with the booster vaccine, as Pfizer asked the committee to approve and as is the practice in Israel (which even expanded the booster vaccination policy for 12-year-olds and older).
What we are witnessing now is a battle over narrative.
The Ministry of Health was quick to state that the FDA had given a seal of approval and validity to the booster vaccination campaign in Israel.
But those who oppose it claim that this is a failure of Israeli policy and a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of the vaccine.
And apparently at this moment the petitions to the High Court against the application of the green label in October are already being written.
After the change of the green label policy: Hundreds of people in Tel Aviv in line for the third vaccine // Archive photo: Moshe Ben Simhon
Does this mean that the policy in Israel is wrong or that the booster vaccine is unsafe?
No, it just means that what is currently true for Israel, based on the rate of vaccinations, the morbidity and "obsolescence" of the second vaccine, is not necessarily true for the US. What was clear yesterday may change tomorrow. The decision means that American experts say there is not enough evidence that the booster vaccine is needed in young age groups as well - those who are already vaccinated in two doses and have a lower risk of serious illness.
The Ministry of Health presented a convincing presentation and published an article on the benefit of the vaccine for those aged 60 and over, but did not present any data on the benefit of a third dose for those under 40 years of age.
And the data presented by Pfizer on 329 people also failed to convince the panel of American experts.
Is coercion necessary?
Now, the implications of the experts' decision could hurt compliance with the third-dose immunization campaign especially among young people.
There are nearly two million (1,848) who are eligible to receive a third dose and have not yet done so.
While among those aged 60 and over we vaccinated 85% and more of the target population for the booster vaccine, at younger ages the response is lower.
Among those aged 60-50 we were vaccinated 72%, among those aged 49-40 we were vaccinated 61% and among those aged 30 to 40 we were vaccinated less than half (47%), and the rate decreases as we age.
Presentation of a green sign at the entrance to the museum (photographers have nothing to do with the article), Yehoshua Yosef
Another implication may be on the new green label, which is expected to take effect on October 1 and is intended for those vaccinated in the third dose (or those vaccinated in the second dose five months ago or less).
Beyond the recommendation and the possibility of getting vaccinated in a third dose, the question arises whether such coercive measures are necessary?
Would it still be justified to deny the green mark that has already been given to vaccinators in two doses and that according to the data presented last night is still 85% protected - and their status will be the same as the status of those who have not been vaccinated at all?
Will the current recommendation be a fatal blow or just a light blow to the booster vaccination campaign in Israel?
In order to prevent harm to the vaccination campaign, it will be necessary to explain and carry out practical actions that will prove to the Israeli vaccinated public that he did not "come out a sucker."
Queue for vaccinations in Tel Aviv (those photographed have nothing to do with the article), Yehoshua Yosef
To emphasize that there is no doubt that the third-dose vaccine "cut" in half at least all the predictions for 1,000 and 2,000 patients in Israel and saved lives, as Dr. Elrai Price also said in her presentation to the American Advisory Committee.
Consider whether it is justified to set a green label that denies freedom of movement, exemption from isolation and other benefits from young people and especially youth, and invest the same energies in performing other proven and required actions that can also cut the morbidity wave - including reducing large gatherings, alongside guidelines for safer education.
