A group of Israeli experts advises a 4th dose of vaccine for adults

JERUSALEM — A group of experts on Tuesday advised the Israeli government to begin offering a fourth dose of the vaccine to anyone over the age of 18, citing research showing it helps prevent COVID-19 infection and serious diseases.

The advisory committee said research shows that a fourth dose provides three to five times the level of protection against serious illnesses and doubles the protection against infections compared to three doses. The director of the Ministry of Health must approve the recommendation.

Israel is already offering a second booster to everyone over 60 and those at high risk as it struggles to contain a wave of infections fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant. It began offering third doses to the general population last summer.

Figures from the Israeli Health Ministry show that there are currently some 580,000 active patients, of whom only 845 are listed as seriously ill. Almost half the population received a third dose and more than 600,000 received a fourth. Israel has reported 8,487 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Israel has been at the forefront of vaccine distribution since they were approved by health authorities at the end of 2020. It has collected a lot of data that sheds light on other countries’ responses to the pandemic.