The Israeli Health Ministry said that people over 60 who received a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are thrice as more resistant to serious illness as those who have been vaccinated three times.
Additionally, the ministry also stated that people over 60 who received the fourth dose of the vaccine, or the second booster, were twice as resistant to infection as those in the same age group who received three shots of the vaccine.
Also read | Booster shots are instrumental in fighting Omicron, CDC data show
The Sheba medical centre in Israel published a preliminary study on Monday that found that the fourth shot increases antibodies even higher than the third, although not to the point where it can completely protect against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Earlier this month, Israel began offering a fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine to over-60-year-olds as Omicron swept the country.
The moves came around one year after the country began a massive vaccination drive on the back of a data-sharing accord with US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer.
Also read | Naftali Bennett says Israeli study finds fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose boosts antibodies five-fold
400,000 people over the age of 60 who received a second booster and 600,000 people in the same age group who received the third booster more than four months ago were compared in this study conducted by the ministry with several major Israeli universities and the Sheba centre.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has claimed that a new study has found that the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose boosts antibodies five-fold.
As elsewhere, Israel has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases due to Omicron, but no one has died from the variant.
(With inputs from agencies)
