Israel has approved a fourth corona jab for the first groups of vulnerable people in the country. This concerns the elderly in nursing homes and people with a weakened immune system.
Last week, a panel of experts from the Ministry of Health recommended making a fourth shot available to people over 60, healthcare staff, and people with weakened immune systems. The second booster should help against omikron, the extra contagious corona variant that is causing explosive growth in the number of infections in many countries.
The first 150 healthcare workers were vaccinated for the fourth time on Monday, but that was as part of a study into the safety and usefulness of a second booster vaccination. Results are expected within two weeks.
Israel is known for its vigorous vaccination campaigns during the pandemic. The country led the way in vaccinating the population a year ago and also quickly started the booster campaign earlier than other countries. As a result, the rest of the world is looking again at Israel now that a fourth shot is also made available there.