Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had alluded that the country was heading in this direction earlier in the week when he said during a visit to a senior living facility that “We’re on top of it, believe me… We’re very close. The less we talk about it, the greater chance it’ll happen. I’m on it.”
The move comes one day after Pfizer told its investors in a presentation that their research shows that a third dose of the vaccine increased antibodies in those who received it by five to 11 times. The company said it hopes to apply for emergency use approval of the extra shot sometimes in August.
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Moreover, it is estimated that for people 60 and older, the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing serious illness has dropped from 97% to 81%.
“Eighty-one percent is still effective, but the gap is dramatic,” tweeted Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science on Thursday morning. “Because if previously the chance of a vaccinated person aged 60+ getting seriously ill was 3%, now it is 19%, which means six times more.”
There were 2,269 people who were diagnosed with the virus on Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported Wednesday night – 2.39% of those screened tested positive. There were 149 patients in serious condition.