EFE.- Israel authorized this noon the application of the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus for people over 30 years old, when the country is experiencing the fourth wave of the pandemic with a growing increase in infections.
With more than 1.5 million people inoculated with the third dose, the Ministry of Health decided in these hours to expand the age range of those who can receive it, in a campaign that began in July with those over 60 years of age and that has been progressively extending the age range.
Preliminary trials in Israel reveal that the effectiveness of the third dose reaches 86% in those over 60, with a significant difference between the number of people who contracted the disease within a week of receiving it versus those who only had two doses, who registered many more infections.
Read: Israel extends third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to people over 40
The announced decision coincides with a rapid increase in the numbers of daily infections, having registered 9,831 new daily cases, the second highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic; although the positivity rate has dropped to 6.3%.
The country reached the peak of the pandemic on January 18, with the maximum of 10,118 daily cases, but with a positivity rate higher than 10% and with 1,165 patients in serious condition, almost double the 678 that currently exist.
Israel, one of the first countries to start the vaccination campaign in December, yesterday surpassed the level of one million cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, although active patients stand at 72,572.
In this context, the Government has reintroduced a series of restrictions in recent weeks, including capacity limitations, both in open and closed spaces.
Do not miss: Israel starts application of third dose of vaccine against Covid-19 to people over 60 years old
The limitations to travel abroad, hardened at the beginning of the month, remain in force, although as of August 31, Spain will no longer be on the list of red countries, in which Mexico and Brazil, among others, will remain.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Naftali Benet, who travels to the United States today, celebrated the full authorization of the Pfizer vaccine by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and emphasized that this measure proves that Israel was in the right decision by massively administering the third dose.
“Israel leads the global fight against the coronavirus, even as we protect the health of Israel’s citizens and their livelihoods at any cost, despite pressure to apply a quarantine,” the president said.
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