July 13, 2021

Andrew Campbell 

Israel successfully launched one of the world's most rapid vaccination campaigns after securing regular supplies of the vaccine from Pfizer. On July 12, Israel will be the first country in the world to begin giving third doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults with serious pre-existing medical conditions. Meanwhile, Pfizer-BioNTech intends to seek regulatory approval in the United States for a booster shot.

In early July, Pfizer and BioNTech announced in a joint statement that a third dose could maintain the highest levels of protective efficacy against all currently known variants, including Delta. The companies were still working on an updated version of their vaccine that targets the entire spike protein of the Delta variant.

The decision, announced by Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz on July 12, comes as health officials in the United States and Europe debate the need for booster vaccinations. The United Kingdom will provide preliminary funding for a booster campaign beginning in September. Booster shots are said to have been provided by other countries that rely on Chinese vaccines.

Delta is present in over 104 countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that it will soon become the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating worldwide. Despite the fact that research for a third dose is underway in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and fear, experts agree that the vaccines are still effective, even against the Delta variant, and that booster shots are not currently required.

Furthermore, the WHO's director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, warned that while the Delta variant is rapidly spreading in areas with high vaccination coverage, the situation is particularly dire in countries with low vaccination coverage. According to Dr. Gebreyesus, exhausted health workers in low-income countries are struggling to save lives due to a lack of personal protective equipment, oxygen, and treatments.

Photo:webshot.