“Seniors do not need to go to crowded places” – Israel offering 4th jab to over 60s and medical workers

Israel’s Health Ministry’s  Director General Prof. Nachman Ash has decided to allow a fourth dose of the vaccine to be given to all adults over 60 and medical crews who received the previous dose at least four months ago.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told a media conference: “The significance here is considerable. In effect, we have a new layer of protection. Here it must be said that our country, one of the first in the world with the boosters, safeguarded Israeli citizens very well.

I want to show you this. Recent mortality in Israel has been among the lowest in the world. In Britain, mortality per capita is 50 times greater. In Germany it is 100 times a greater. In the US, it is 130 times greater than in the State of Israel.

I call on everyone who is eligible for a fourth dose to get vaccinated. This is mainly the older population. The time that we gained allowed us to study the Omicron, see what is happening in the rest of the world and adapt our plan accordingly. We have seen countries, such as the Netherlands or Germany, who have been obliged to move to complete or partial lockdowns and we have seen other countries, such as France, Britain and in the US, states such as New York and Texas, now dealing with record numbers of hospitalized children.

I want us to navigate between these two extremes. Our supreme goal has always been to enable the economy to function as much as possible while we protect the most vulnerable among us.

He said Israel is facing over 5,000 verified cases a day and estimates that at the peak of the wave, it could be that we will pass 50,000 verified cases.

He added: “Whoever has not yet been vaccinated – get vaccinated. Whoever has not yet received a booster – get it immediately; it is still not too late. Whoever has not yet vaccinated their children – simply take the children to get vaccinated. It takes time for children to build a layer of protection; every day is important.

Second, be strict about masks. There is something important here: A mask can be all the difference between a severe and a mild illness. And last, watch over the most vulnerable in society, mainly seniors and the unvaccinated.

I can tell you that in my private family, I have given instructions to look after my mother, who is almost 80, because she is vulnerable even with all the doses of the vaccine. In the coming period, seniors do not need to go around in crowded places. They can watch themselves and they can mainly wear masks.”