Israel: Protection From COVID Infection Four Times Higher After Booster Shot

Older Israelis who were offered booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine have reportedly been shown to have dramatically improved protection against COVID-19. Israel was one of the first countries in the world to achieve significant vaccine coverage, but it’s battling a surge of infections fueled by the more transmissible Delta variant as well as declining immunity for those already vaccinated. According to a Reuters report, a study from the Israeli Health Ministry shows that “protection against infection provided from 10 days after a third dose was four times higher than after two doses.” Protection against severe illness and hospitalization was “five or six times greater.” Israel started giving booster shots to over-60s in July and has now extended the program to over-40s—although the shots are only offered to those who received their second jabs at least five months ago.