Israel’s Health Ministry expanded its COVID booster shot drive to Israelis age 30 and above on Tuesday. Those who received the second vaccine dose at least five months previously are eligible for the third vaccine. Israel became the first country in the world last month to begin providing booster shots, initially only to those 60 and above. As of Tuesday, 1,575,898 Israelis have received booster shots. Israel’s coronavirus cases continue to surge, with almost 10,000 new cases confirmed on Tuesday morning – a seven-month high. However, early data on the effectiveness of the booster shots is promising and there has already been a decline in serious cases in those over 60. Health Ministry data indicates that the booster is highly effective at preventing infection and/or serious illness, with only 0.2 percent of the first 1.1 million Israelis who received the booster shots contracting COVID seven days afterward, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday. Out of the 0.2 percent of Israelis who received their third dose and contracted COVID, only 0.008% developed serious symptoms. The first group of Israelis to receive boosters were age ≥60. The impact is apparent with divergence of the curves. https://t.co/PcbFJpgJaH pic.twitter.com/cRd6pdajmR — Eric Topol (@EricTopol) August 20, 2021 (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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