Israel has recorded more than 970,000 coronavirus infections since the pandemic (File)
Jerusalem:
Israelis 40 and older can receive booster vaccinations for the coronavirus starting this weekend, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Thursday, as the country faces a spike in infections.
Israel was one of the first countries to launch a vaccination campaign in mid-December through an agreement with Pfizer to obtain millions of paid vaccine doses in exchange for sharing data on their effectiveness.
The vaccination campaign was hailed as a success story that helped dramatically reduce infections in the nation of nine million.
But cases have risen due to the spread of the Delta variant among the unvaccinated and declining immunity in others.
To stem the spread, authorities began giving a booster shot to people over 50 last week, after launching a campaign aimed at over-60s late last month.
Horowitz, one of those who received a third dose, tweeted Thursday that people 40 and older can get a booster shot from Sunday.
“We have vaccines for everyone and now those 40 and older can get a third dose,” he wrote. “The vaccine is effective. Let’s stop this Delta.”
Israel has recorded more than 970,000 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began early last year, and more than 6,700 deaths.
More than 5.4 million people have received two doses of the vaccine, while 1.2 million have had a third shot.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization called for a moratorium on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to help reduce the drastic disparity in dose distribution between rich and poor countries.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NewsMadura staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
