Israel's national coronavirus czar encourages country to prepare for a fourth vaccine dose, report says
More than 2.5 million Israelis had reportedly received a third dose of the vaccine by Sept. 3, but the country's coronavirus czar is already talking about a potential fourth dose.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Israel is beginning to prepare for a potential fourth vaccine dose.
Israel's national coronavirus czar Salman Zarka is asking the country to prepare for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report Saturday from The Times of Israel. Zarka reportedly didn't specify when the fourth vaccine shots would be administered.
"This is our life from now on, in waves," Zarka told Kan public radio of the pandemic and multiple virus strains. Zarka reportedly said that the next booster shot could be modified to better protect against new variants of the virus, like the Delta strain.
Israel was reportedly the first country to offer the third dose, which began rolling out on Aug. 1 for those over the age of 60. As of Sept. 3, more than 2.5 million Israelis had received the third dose, according to The Times of Israel.
US officials set an initial date of Sept. 20 for vaccine booster shots, but on Sept. 3, officials from the Food and Drug Administration as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising the White House to scale back its original booster recommendation. Currently, government officials are warning that the boosters may be available only to those who received the Pfizer vaccine. Regulators will need more time to evaluate vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.