According to its own statements, an Israeli hospital will start a study for the fourth vaccination against the coronavirus on Monday. Around 150 medical workers at the clinic, who had received their third vaccination by August 20, would receive another dose, the Shiba Hospital near Tel Aviv announced on Sunday evening. All of them would have had low levels of antibodies in a serological test – less than 700. According to the hospital, this is the first study of its kind in the world.
A spokesman for the hospital confirmed that the vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech will be used for the study. Gili Regev-Jochai, Director of the Infectious Diseases Department, said, “In this study, we will review what the impact of the fourth vaccination is on antibody levels, disease prevention, and we will monitor safety.”
In view of the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, Israel had already announced last week that people over 60 should receive a fourth dose of vaccine. A government panel of experts also recommended that health care workers should also be vaccinated for the fourth time. The spokesman for the Schiba Hospital said, however, that a national vaccination campaign for the fourth vaccination would only start after the first results of the study are available.
Israel has already passed the fourth corona wave. Recently, however, the number of infections has risen again. Only around 60 percent of the 9.4 million Israelis are still considered fully vaccinated. These are twice vaccinated up to 6 months after the second vaccination and people with booster vaccination. 31 percent of the population are not vaccinated at all, with nine percent the vaccination has already expired.