An Israeli scientist warns the UK about the fourth wave of the Covid virus

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An Israeli scientist has warned that the UK must quickly roll out a booster vaccine for Covid and convince skeptics to take the vaccine if it is to avoid a deadly fourth wave of the virus.

Eran Segal, a professor of biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, said his country sees the effectiveness of the Pfizer dual vaccine waning six months after the second vaccine is given.

Last week, Israel became the first country to offer a third dose to people under 50. It also has some of the highest levels of vaccination in the world, with about 80 percent of those aged 12 or older having received the vaccinations.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: “Israel is responding with a strong program of reinforced stabbings and I believe our experience may have many implications for Britain and other countries.

First, countries must redouble their efforts to convince those who refuse to get their vaccines. Second, the booster injection policy for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions should be considered. It would be wise to act now to prevent a fatal wave in the UK.”

Israel is now seeing a rapid rise in infection rates toward their peak in January when they were recording about 10,000 new cases per day.

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More than 47 million people in Britain have now been vaccinated. The UK government has said it is considering giving booster doses to the most vulnerable from September.

But Somaya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, said the increases in Covid cases and hospital admissions are mainly among unvaccinated people, and there is little evidence that booster vaccines are effective.

However, the United States has outlined plans to distribute additional doses to Americans eight months after their second vaccination in the face of the delta variant.

Mr. Segal added: “Just a few months ago, we had cautiously hoped that our stringent policy on vaccination would beat the virus.

But we now see that the combination of a highly transmissible variant, reduced vaccine efficacy and the 15 percent of those eligible for the vaccine who remain unvaccinated has changed the course of the epidemic.

What is certain is that Britain has a chance to learn from our mistakes and avoid the pain of the fourth wave. And it’s time to start a campaign for booster cakes.”

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