THE third dose of Pfizer / BionTech vaccine against Covid-19 significantly improved the level of protection against infection and serious disease in people 60 years of age and older in Israel compared to those vaccinated with two doses, according to data released today by the Ministry of Health.
The data were presented at a meeting of a committee of vaccine experts and posted on the website of the Israeli Ministry of Health. However, all the details of the study have not yet been published.
The figures are in line with statistics released last week by Maccabi Health Services, one of the four healthcare providers operating in Israel.
Analyzing the statistics of the Gertner Institute and KI Institute of Israel, officials of the Ministry of Health announced that, among people aged 60 and over, the protection against infection provided 10 days after the third, booster dose is four times higher than with the protection provided after the two doses.
The third, booster dose in those over 60 offered five to six times more protection against serious illness and hospitalization 10 days later.
In recent weeks, the Israeli Ministry of Health has announced that immunity is declining over time in both the elderly and the young. Most of the vaccinated people who became seriously ill in Israel were over 60 years old and with underlying diseases.
Israel began administering the third booster dose of the vaccine to those over 60 on July 30. On Thursday, it lowered the age limit for candidates for the third installment in 40 years and also included pregnant women, teachers and health workers. The third dose should only be given to those who have received the second dose of the vaccine at least five months before.
The United States has announced plans to give a third dose of the vaccine to all Americans, based on evidence that protection is declining. Canada, France and Germany have announced vaccination campaigns.
In Israel, which is facing a resurgence of the epidemic because of it Delta variant, about 1.5 million people, out of the country’s 9.3 million population, have already received a third dose of the vaccine.
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