Jct, University in Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem, Jan 18 After becoming the first country to roll out a fourth dose of Covid vaccine, a study conducted in Israel now says that the second booster shot is not enough to fight the Omicron variant.According to experts at the Sheba Medical Centre, which launched a trial in December 2021 to test the efficacy of a fourth Covid shot, although the booster raises antibody levels, there are "still a lot of infections" among those who received it, The Times of Israel reported.The second booster was only partially effective in protecting against the Omicron strain, which has the potential to escape vaccine immunity."The vaccine, which was very effective against the previous strains, is less effective against the Omicron strain," Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay, a lead researcher in the experiment was quoted as saying."We see an increase in antibodies, higher than after the third dose.""However, we see many infected with Omicron who received the fourth dose. Granted, a bit less than in the control group, but still a lot of infections."The bottom line is that the vaccine is excellent against the Alpha and Delta (variants), for Omicron it's not good enough," she said.Lasr December, Israel began offering fourth vaccine shots to people aged 60 and older, the immunocompromised, and medical workers.While Regev-Yochay noted that it is still probably a good idea to give a fourth shot to those at higher risk, but should only include even older groups than just over 60s. However, she did not elaborate, the report said.Despite the lack of proper data, Israel pushed ahead with expanding the fourth dose programme.As of Sunday night, over 500,000 Israelis have been inoculated with a fourth dose, the report said.Many countries, including Chile and Denmark, have followed suit, while some like Germany and France are considering it.Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has urged countries to delay booster programmes until the whole world has access to initial vaccine doses.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

JctFOLLOW

Jct, Latest News

Tel Aviv, Jan 24 The Israeli Cabinet has approved the launching of an Israeli-Emirati industrial research and development ... ...

Music can unite believers across the globe and is undoubtedly a divine creation and is primarily a special gift from God. The power of music is used to communicate, express gratitude and appreciate God's presence in our lives. Gospel music leads our ...

Israel has condemned the terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi and expressed condolences to the government and people of India after two Indian nationals were killed in the incident. ...

Jerusalem, Jan 18 More than 90 per cent of Covid patients treated with Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid showed ... ...

Israel has condemned the terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi and expressed condolences to the government and people of India after two Indian nationals were killed in the incident. ...

Ramallah, Jan 18 Palestine has warned Israel against evicting Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. "The ... ...

Tel Aviv, Jan 18 The number of unemployed people in Israel declined to about 262,100 at the end ... ...

Jerusalem, Jan 18 After becoming the first country to roll out a fourth dose of Covid vaccine, a ... ...