Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash on Wednesday evening approved the administration of a second booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine to all adults with comorbidities which place them at increased risk.
The decision was made in light of data on the usefulness of the fourth vaccine dose given to the over-60 population, which showed increased protection from serious illness.
In early January, in light of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, a fourth dose of a vaccine began to be administration to the Israeli population aged 60 and over and to at-risk populations and medical staff. A preliminary analysis of the data, which examined the usefulness of the fourth dose, found that among those aged 60 and over, the fourth dose increases the protection against infection by about two times compared to those vaccinated with three doses. In addition, the fourth dose confers three times or more protection against serious illness compared to those vaccinated with only a third dose.
The analysis is based on data from about 400,000 people who have vaccinated with the fourth dose, and about 600,000 who were vaccinated with the third dose over the age of 60.