Israel Health Ministry Provides New COVID Vaccine to Eligible Individuals
More people in the future will have the opportunity to receive the Moderna shot. On September 21, the Israel Ministry of Health (MOH) released guidelines for the new COVID-19 booster vaccine. Starting in mid-October, individuals aged 12 and older who are at high risk for severe illness from the virus will be able to get vaccinated. The MOH stated that priority will be given to those in the risk group regardless of their previous vaccination history.
In a later phase, when the MOH receives additional vaccines, the guidelines will be expanded to offer the Moderna vaccine. Previously, Israel has primarily used the Pfizer vaccine since December 2020. The statement did not provide reasons for the change in manufacturer.
The MOH explained that the Moderna vaccines being delivered to Israel are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to FDA authorization, recent studies have shown that the updated vaccines have a similar level of neutralization against currently circulating viral variants causing COVID-19.
The initial dose of the vaccine, which became available in December 2020, had a 71 percent uptake in the Israeli population. The second dose had a 65 percent uptake, while the first booster had a 48 percent uptake, according to MOH data. Additional booster shots were mainly offered to the elderly, high-risk individuals, medical staff, and caregivers. Approximately 9 percent of the population received the second booster, and 4 percent received the bivalent booster offered in October 2022, according to MOH data.
The MOH specifically recommended that individuals with immunosuppression get vaccinated against the coronavirus. In a later stage, when more vaccines are available, access will be expanded to include the entire population aged 6 months and older, regardless of their previous vaccination history. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and women planning pregnancy are also eligible for vaccination.
The MOH has shared its guidelines for the new Omicron substrains vaccines with the four Israeli health maintenance organizations. The MOH stated that the guidelines were developed based on continuous monitoring of morbidity trends and coronavirus variants.
Israel has seen a moderate increase in the number of hospitalized patients with mild cases of COVID-19. There is also a moderate increase in the number of patients in serious condition. The number of individuals hospitalized in serious condition has risen over the past three months, according to the MOH coronavirus dashboard. Additionally, the average number of confirmed cases per week has increased.
Other countries are also offering or recommending the new vaccines to specific populations. The UK authorities have limited the availability of the updated vaccines to select groups, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the new shots for almost all Americans aged 6 months and older. Florida authorities have raised concerns about the lack of strong data supporting the new vaccines.
Pfizer has not provided clinical trial data for its updated shot, while Moderna has shown that its new shots induce neutralizing antibodies that are believed to offer protection against COVID-19. The CDC has indicated that the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant may be more infectious for individuals who have previously had COVID-19 or received previous vaccines, but updated vaccines may help reduce severe disease and hospitalization.
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