Israeli hospital to test fourth coronavirus vaccine shot as Omicron spreads

The trial will help gauge whether a second booster jab is necessary nationwide

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tests negative for Covid-19, but is self-isolating after his 14-year-old daughter was infected

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A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccine for children in the Israeli town of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:21am, 27 Dec 2021

A major Israeli hospital will begin administering a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot to 150 staff on Monday in a trial aimed at gauging whether a second booster is necessary nationwide, the facility said on Sunday.

Sheba Medical Centre near Tel Aviv said its trial would shed light on the efficacy of a fourth dose and help decision-makers set health policy in Israel and abroad.

Israel has reported 1,118 confirmed cases of the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, with the number of people infected by it doubling every two days.

A Health Ministry panel of experts has recommended offering a fourth dose of the Pfizer /BioNTech vaccine to Israelis aged 60 and over who received a booster shot at least four months ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the weekly cabinet meeting in Kibbutz Mevo Hama in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

But final approval by the ministry’s director general is still pending amid public debate as to whether sufficient scientific information is available to justify a new booster drive.