Experiencing A Surge In Cases Of Infection With The Omicron Variant, Israel Is Testing The Fourth Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine Starting Today

JAKARTA - A major Israeli hospital will begin administering a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 150 staff on Monday, in a trial aimed at measuring whether a second booster is needed nationwide, the facility said on Sunday.

The Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv said its trial would explain the efficacy of the fourth dose and help decision makers establish health policy in Israel and abroad.

Israel is known to have reported 1.118 confirmed cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with the number of infected people doubling every two days.

The Ministry of Health's expert panel has recommended offering the fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, to Israelis aged 60 years and over who received a booster shot at least four months ago.

However, final approval by the ministry's director-general is still pending amid public debate over whether sufficient scientific information is available to justify the new impetus.

"We will examine the effect of the fourth dose on antibody levels and morbidity and we will measure its safety," said Gili Regev-Ychay, director of the study, citing Reuters, December 27.

"We will understand whether it is necessary to take a fourth shot, and to whom." The Sheba Medical Center did not say how long the trial would last.

To note, the 150 Sheba medical workers taking part in the trial, which the hospital said had received Ministry of Health approval, received the booster injection by August 20.