Israel will start giving a third shot of a COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly population as soon as next week, after the expert forum advising the Ministry of Health decided to recommend giving a booster dose of a vaccine against the virus.
During the discussion, a worrying figure was presented that indicates a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine in people aged 60 and over, from 97% in April, to 81% during the month of July.
The question brought up among the experts was whether to change the vaccine threshold and raise it to a later age, but the decision on the matter will be made by the director general of the Ministry of Health.
The Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported on Wednesday that the Ministry of Health is intensively preparing to start providing the third dose to the elderly population - as early as next week.
Internal data from health maintenance organizations and hospitals, published in the Israel Hayom newspaper, show that the third dose of the vaccine is safe and that most of the side effects following the third vaccine, such as fever or pain in the area where the vaccine was injected, usually passed hours or days later.
The third dose of the vaccine is being given at the four health maintenance funds and the largest hospitals in the country, as part of the special guidelines of the Ministry of Health for those whose immune systems are damaged, such as people who have undergone organ transplants, patients with some cancers and others - at all ages.