Israel Plan to Push Ahead With Fourth Covid Jab May Be Scuttled
Israel Plan to Push Ahead With Fourth Covid Jab May Be Scuttled
(Bloomberg) -- Israel’s plan to administer a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose to older adults and medical personnel may be delayed or abandoned if the country’s top health official fails to sign off on the program.
The plan, which would have made the country the first in the world to offer a fourth dose on such a widespread basis, was announced on Tuesday by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett following a recommendation from a panel of experts. The decision was based on a forecast showing that fast-paced spread of omicron would leave the population largely unprotected from infection.
“The director-general of the Health Ministry is weighing the matter and has not yet made a decision,” a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said in a text message in response to a query from Bloomberg News.
Channel 13 reported on Thursday evening that Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash was reviewing information from the U.K. that shows that omicron leads to less severe illness than the delta variant. Ash may decide not to accept the recommendation from the team of experts and to instead ask them to hold another discussion, the report said.
The decision to press ahead with the fourth dose drew criticism from some medical experts, including the country’s public health chief, Sharon Alroy-Preis. She protested at a meeting of government officials and medical experts that a trial at the country’s leading hospital hadn’t yet been carried out, according to Army Radio.
Israel’s handling of the coronavirus has been studied by other countries, because of its early administration of vaccines and boosters and comprehensive digital health data. It launched the world’s leading vaccine drive a little less than a year ago when inoculations first became available. In August, Israel became the first country to offer boosters to much of its population after the delta variant sent infections soaring.
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