Israel Doubles Down On Booster Shots As Daily Covid Cases Set New Record, 5 Month Booster: CNBC 8/30
- 'Israel doubles down on booster shots as daily Covid cases set new record,' CNBC, Aug. 30, 2021. - Excerpts, Ed.
Israeli lawmakers are keen to avoid another lockdown after overseeing one of the world’s fastest vaccination drives. New daily coronavirus infections, however, have just climbed to record levels. While many nations were grappling with the rapid spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, Covid-19 transmission in Israel declined sharply as the country vaccinated more than half of its population in around 2 months. The country had one of the fastest rollout programs in the world, and by early June many of its coronavirus restrictions were lifted as new cases fell dramatically. But just days later, masks were reimposed as new infection numbers began to creep upward.
Around 63% of the Israeli population has been fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by Our World in Data. Covid-19 cases in Israel have been rising sharply since July despite the high vaccination rate. New daily cases in the country reached an all-time high of 12,113 on August 24, surpassing the January peak of 11,934. Just months ago, new cases had fallen to double-digits, and there were some days in May and June where no new infections were recorded. Despite high levels of so-called “breakthrough cases,” morbidity in the country hasn’t overtaken the peak seen in January, which is widely attributed to the vaccination rollout...
To be sure, everyone over the age of 12 is eligible for Covid-19 vaccination in Israel.
- An Israeli man receives a 3rd shot of Covid-19 vaccine as country launches booster shots for over 30-year-olds, in Rishon Lezion, Israel Aug. 24, 2021.
-- VACCINE BOOSTER HOPES: Preliminary data published by the Israeli government in July showed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was just 16% effective against symptomatic infection for people who had received 2 doses in January. For people who had been fully vaccinated by April, the vaccine was 79% effective against symptomatic infection, suggesting that immunity gained through immunization depletes over time. However, the analysis did conclude that having the vaccine provided strong protection against severe illness and hospitalization caused by Covid-19.
- WATCH VIDEO, Link Below, 3 mins. *Covid immunity wanes 6 months after the Pfizer vaccine*
-- 3rd DOSE BOOSTER: In late July, Israel began offering everyone over the age of 60 a third vaccine dose, a move that has been rapidly expanded. Throughout August, the booster program has gradually been rolled out to more of the population, and third shots have been available to everyone over the age of 30 since Tuesday.
- Israelis receiving a booster shot are required to wait 5 months after their second dose before they become eligible for their third.
Prof. Eyal Leshem, an infectious disease specialist told CNBC that while cases were rising, the rate of severe illness remained “substantially lower.” “We attribute that to the fact that most of our adult population is vaccinated with 2 doses, and more than one million people have received the third booster dose,” he said...
- Read More,
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/30/israel-doubles-down-on-covid-booster-shots-as-breakthrough-cases-rise.html
- Video,
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/07/28/covid-immunity-wanes-6-months-after-the-pfizer-vaccine.html
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