Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Anthony FauciReuters

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to US President Joe Biden, on Friday highlighted Israel’s experience regarding booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines when arguing that offering these shots to the entire US population would become an “absolutely essential part” of fighting the pandemic/

“When you look at the data from Israel, it’s very clear that (the booster) reverses some of the waning effects that you see in people who have been vaccinated for six months or more,” Fauci said on “The Daily” podcast and quoted by Haaretz.

As was the case in Israel, he said, booster shots for all twice-vaccinated adults “are going to be an absolutely essential component of our response. Not a bonus, not a luxury, but an absolutely essential part of the program.”

“If you look at Israel, which has always been a month to a month and a half ahead of us in the dynamics of the outbreak in their vaccine response and every other element – they are seeing a waning of immunity (after six months of vaccination) not only against infection but against hospitalizations and to some extent, death which involved all age groups, not just the elderly,” Fauci added.

He said it was his opinion that, like Israel, which forged ahead with a booster campaign even before clear scientific studies on the necessity of boosting after six months were available, the US must move forward and not wait for complete data to prove a large-scale booster program is necessary, in order to save more lives.

“The proof will be in the pudding after we get people vaccinated and boosted, and we have a greater durability of protection that doesn't wane as easily,” stated Fauci.

Fauci has several times praised Israel’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, he cited the success of the vaccination campaign in Israel as proof of the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Last month, he toldGalei Tzahal (Army Radio) in an interview that US officials are receiving information from Israel on the booster shot campaign, and there is particular interest in data on young people.

“I think ultimately there will be enough data to show that Israel is doing the right thing,” said Fauci, who added he takes the statistics coming out of Israel “very seriously”.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)