Israel, One of Most Vaccinated Countries in the World, Sets New COVID-19 Case Record

Total active cases in the country rose to nearly 400,000 people, of whom 533 are currently hospitalized in critical condition, according to a Jan. 19 statement posted by the country's health ministry.

Israel, which has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world with already nearly half of its citizens having received three shots, is leading the world in new daily cases per capita, according to Jan. 20 data.

Eran Segal, a biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, verified this data, explaining that after comparing the numbers of each country's seven-day running average, Israel is at the top, The Times of Israel reported.

The country's health ministry announced last week it started administering second boosters to the most vulnerable group of people and already 500,000 people have received the fourth shot.

Israel was among the first countries to roll out vaccines a year ago and began widely offering third doses last summer in a bid to contain the Delta variant.

An Israeli researcher said on Jan. 17 a second booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine does induce antibodies, but likely not at a level high enough to protect recipients against infection from Omicron.

Omicron has proven better at evading antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines than earlier strains and has infected millions of vaccinated people around the world in recent weeks, sparking a renewed effort to get people boosted.

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