The BostonGlobe reported today Israel's Health Ministry is preparing plans to offer another round of vaccinations against COVID-19.
“We don’t know when it will happen; I hope very much that it won’t be within six months, like this time, and that the third dose will last for longer,” Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said in an interview with Radio 103FM.
After successfully deploying the 2-dose mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech, known as Comirnaty, to about 5.5 million residents, about 63% of Israel's 8.7 million total population, Israel's Health Ministry launched a third vaccination program on July 30, 2021.
The third vaccination program included the use of Moderna Inc's SpikeVax COVID-19 vaccine.
As of September 12, 2021, the Israeli data dashboard indicates that about 2.8 million people over the age of 12 have received the 'booster' vaccination, which is now classified as 'Immunized with impulse.'
Israel's dashboard also reveals the daily average number of serious COVID-19 cases confirmed in Israel during August is about 670.
On September 5, 2021, the dashboard was updated. As a result, there may be changes to the percentage of vaccinated individuals among the entire Israel population rather than changes to the absolute number of vaccinated individuals.
The director-general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recently warned that the 'fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. As the experience with this pandemic shows, no country can let down its guard. Complacency can be as dangerous as the virus itself. So we must continue to be vigilant.'
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health announced its recommendation for a destination classification scheme that will take effect on September 14th, subject to approval. As a result, travel is forbidden for anyone, including vaccinated and recovered individuals, except those who have received travel clearance from the Exceptions Committee to Red Destinations: Bulgaria, Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey.