Israel offers third injection of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults at risk

JERUSALEM, July 11 (Reuters) – Israel on Sunday announced it would begin offering a third dose of Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) vaccine to adults with weakened immune systems, but it was still weighing whether to put the reminder available to the general public.

The rapid spread of the Delta variant has boosted vaccination rates in Israel as new infections have risen from a figure to around 450 per day over the past month, and the country has decided to speed up its next Pfizer shipment. .

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that from now on, adults with weakened immune systems who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine may be given a booster, with the decision pending further distribution. large.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE, the main providers of a rapid Israeli vaccination rollout that began in December, said on Thursday they would ask US and European regulators within weeks to allow the booster injections.

Both companies cited an increased risk of infection after six months of applying for authorization for a third shot.

Drawing criticism from some scientists and officials, the companies did not share data showing the risk, but said it would be made public soon. They also cited recent Israeli data. Read more

“We are examining this question and we still do not have a definitive answer,” Horowitz, speaking on Kan public radio, said of a recall for the general population in Israel.

“In any case, we are now giving a third injection to people with immunodeficiency.”

About half of the 46 critically ill patients currently hospitalized in Israel are vaccinated, and the majority belong to risk groups, according to health officials. About 5.7 million of the population of Israel 9.3 received at least one dose.

Israel was not going to rush into a decision on booster injections for the general public, said Sharon Alroy-Preis, public health official at the health ministry.

“It’s quite complex. We are currently seeing epidemics mainly in children and their parents who have not necessarily been vaccinated in January and February and we need to identify the biases (statistics),” Alroy-Preis told Kan .

It was still not clear, Alroy-Preis added, whether the vaccine was simply less effective against the Delta variant and whether disease rates among people vaccinated in January and February were higher than those who were inoculated longer. late.

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Horowitz said that separately, the Department of Health would fill a supply gap from Pfizer for ongoing two-dose inoculations to the general adult population using Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) vaccines already in stock.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in remarks released to his cabinet on Sunday that he had agreed with Pfizer to bring the next dose delivery forward to August 1. The expedition was widely expected for September.

There was no immediate response from Pfizer to a request for comment.

Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Raissa Kasolowsky

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