In a first, a person in Israel has been vaccinated with a fourth coronavirus vaccine. This was done as a part of the study to see if the country will go ahead and approve the measure in a bid to curb the growing wave of Covid infections triggered by the Omicron variant. There are a total of 150 subjects and all of these are medical staff.
Speaking about the study, a spokesman said, it “will zero in on efficacy of the vaccine in producing antibodies, and safety, in order to ascertain if a fourth vaccine is needed in general.”
This comes a few days after an expert panel suggested that Israel should become the first country to offer a fourth dose. This is specifically for those aged over 60 and medical workers.
Israel has been experiencing a sudden spike in cases due to the Omicron variant. There are a little over 1,000 cases of the Omicron variant in Israel.
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Several health officials have warned that the new Covid variant is the reason for an upcoming fifth wave of infections.
In a bid to fight the virus, the government has imposed restrictions. New rules for the education sector have also come into play.
As per the new restrictions, classes for students in grades 7-12 in communities listed as ‘red’ or ‘orange’ will only be allowed to open for offline learning where 70 per cent of students have received the first dose of the vaccine.
Students in classes with less than 70 per cent vaccinated students will be taken online. For communities listed as ‘green’ and ‘yellow’, classes will be conducted regularly.
As per ministry data, nearly 63 per cent of Israel’s population have received the first two vaccine doses. Also, almost 45 per cent have also received a third dose.
(With inputs from agencies)
