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 Announcing the decision, top Israeli health officials said the
effectiveness of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
waned six months after administration, making a booster necessary.
"The third dose brings us to the level of protection achieved by the
second dose, when it was fresh," said Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of
public health at Israel's Health Ministry.
"That means, people are 10 times more protected after the third
vaccine dose," she told a news conference, where the expanded
booster drive was announced.
Those eligible for the third shot can receive it provided at least
five months have passed since their second jab - a timeframe shorter
than an eight-month interval in effect in the United States, which
is considering cutting the waiting time.
Hoping to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant,
Israel began administering the booster to its older population a
month ago and has been gradually lowering the age of eligibility. It
stood at 30 before Sunday's announcement.
So far 2 million people out of a population of 9.3 million have
received three doses.
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"There are already results: the increase in severe morbidity has
begun to slow," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement.
"But we have to complete third doses for all of our citizens. I call
on those aged 12 and up to go out and immediately take the third
shot."
Israel and other countries have pressed ahead with booster plans
despite opposition from the World Health Organization, which said
more of the world should be vaccinated with a first dose before
people receive a third.
The United States has said it will offer booster doses to all
Americans, citing data showing diminishing protection. Canada,
France and Germany have also planned booster campaigns.
(Editing by Jeffrey Heller; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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