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Israel, whose health ministry recently said Pfizer’s coronavirus disease vaccine (Covid-19) was “less effective” against the Delta variant, said it had reached an agreement with the U.S. vaccine maker for a new batch of Covid-19 vaccines for the vaccination of adolescents in the country.
Read also | Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine ‘less effective’ against Delta variant: Israel
Speaking at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the agreement was to bring forward the delivery of the new batch of vaccine to August 1 to “ensure a continuous supply from then on. vaccines in Israel ”. In recent weeks, Bennett said, health workers have vaccinated more than 200,000 citizens, including adolescents.
Israel, which has yet to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for children under 12, is trying to stop a new outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant, which was first discovered in India on last year.
In addition, the government has announced that it will offer, with immediate effect, a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine to people with weakened immune systems, although a decision has not yet been made on offering the booster to the General public.
According to government data, more than 61% of the 9.3 million Israeli citizens have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while the corresponding number for those who have received two doses is 56%. A large majority of the beneficiaries were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, developed in partnership with the German BioNTech SE.
In recent weeks, Israel’s health ministry has seen a steady rise in new infections every day, with most cases being detected in young, unvaccinated children. The rapid spread of the Delta variant has led the country to report around 450 new infections per day, up from single digits last month.
(With contributions from the agency)
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