JERUSALEM, December 26 (Reuters) – The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, will begin a new COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign on Monday by administering a fourth dose to 150 of its caregivers.
This initiative, announced Sunday by the establishment, participates in evaluations on the need – or not – of a second recall campaign at the national level, but also worldwide, in the face of the proliferation of the Omicron variant.
Israel, the first country to vaccinate its population, reported 1,118 Omicron infections at this stage.
An expert committee with the Israeli Minister of Health has recommended a fourth injection of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for people aged 60 and over who had a first booster at least four months ago.
The Director General of Health has yet to comment on these recommendations.
“We will examine the effect of a fourth dose on antibody level and morbidity and assess its safety,” said Chaim Sheba study director Gili Regev-Yochay.
The 150 hospital caregivers involved in the trial received a third injection by August 20 at the latest. (Report Jeffrey Heller, French version Sophie Louet)