As the US and other countries have announced plans to give additional doses amid the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, data from Israel shows that a booster shot of Pfizer Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine significantly improved immunity and offered protection from serious illness among people aged 60 and above.
The US has announced plans to provide booster shots to all Americans, citing data that shows protection is eroding, and Canada, France, and Germany have also announced booster campaigns.
The protection against infection provided 10 days after a third dose was four times higher than after two doses, according to findings published by Israel’s health ministry on Sunday. It was also discovered that the third vaccination, given to people over the age of 60, provided five to six times more protection against serious illness and hospitalisation after ten days. That age group is particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, and when the vaccination campaign began in late December in Israel, it was the first to receive the vaccine.
The information was presented to a ministry panel of vaccination experts on Thursday and posted to the ministry’s website on Sunday. The study’s full findings, however, have yet to be made public.
Maccabi Health Services, one of several organisations that administer booster shots to try to prevent the Delta variant, reported similar findings with separate statistics last week.
According to a study released last Wednesday by Maccabi Health Services, the booster shot reduced the risk of infection by 86 percent and the risk of severe infection by 92 percent in people aged 60 and up. Maccabi’s findings are based on real-world data from a large group of people. Pfizer and Moderna Inc have also stated that a booster shot would improve protection in their own studies.
Immunity has deteriorated over time for both the elderly and the young in Israel, according to the health ministry. In Israel, the majority of vaccinated people who became seriously ill were over 60 and had underlying health problems.
On July 30, Israel began administering the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to those over the age of 60. It has now raised the age of eligibility for a booster shot to 40 years old, as well as stating that pregnant women, teachers, and health-care workers under the age of 40 are also eligible. Only those who have had their second shot at least five months ago are given the third dose.
Israel, which has been fighting a Delta variant outbreak since June, has one of the highest infection rates per capita in the world. Out of the country’s 9.3 million people, nearly 1.5 million have received the third dose. Israel was the first country to completely immunise its citizens against Covid-19.
