Israeli Health Officials To Discuss 4th Vaccine Dose

Israeli health officials this week are expected discuss authorizing a fourth Covid-19 booster shot for immunocompromised individuals as the omicron variant circulates globally, Channel 12 news reports.

The Health Ministry's vaccination advisory committee and the team in charge of epidemics will not be considering the fourth dose for the general population, but only for the vulnerable group that has not developed antibodies.

However, the third dose was originally targeted to the immunocompromised in July and then was authorized for the general population. 

Over 4 million Israelis have received all three vaccine doses, according to Health Ministry data.

The experts will also talk about vaccination guidelines for children with neurological disorders and vaccinating children recovering from the virus.

Immunocompromised individuals in the UK are already eligible to receive the fourth booster shot. The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said last week that people vulnerable to Covid can get jabbed a fourth time three months after receiving the third booster shot.

The most recent Covid variant was first discovered in South Africa on November 24 and was classified a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Omicron has 50 genetic changes to the original virus, worrying scientists of its ability to evade antibodies designed to fight Covid.

Early evidence suggests that the omicron variant causes a higher risk of reinfection compared to other variants, meaning individuals who already had the virus are susceptible to being infected again.