Nearly a month after Sheba Medical Center launched a landmark study to test the efficacy of a fourth COVID shot, the hospital said Monday that this fourth booster was only partially effective in protecting against the Omicron strain.
"The vaccine, which was very effective against the previous strains, is less effective against the Omicron strain," Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay, a lead researcher in the experiment said.
"The bottom line is that the vaccine is excellent against the Alpha and Delta [variants], for Omicron it's not good enough," she said.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has pushed ahead with expanding Israel's fourth dose program, despite the lack of data.
As of Sunday night, over 500,000 Israelis have been inoculated with a fourth dose.
The World Health Organization has urged countries to delay booster programs until the whole world has access to initial vaccine doses.
Around two-thirds of Israel's population of nearly 9.5 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and nearly 4.4 million Israelis have received three doses, according to the latest Health Ministry figures.
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Israeli trial, world's first, finds 4th dose 'not good enough' against Omicron
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