Israel to offer 3rd COVID jab for over 60s

JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) - Israel will start offering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccinations to people aged over 60, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday, one of first countries to provide a booster shot.

The jabs will begin on Sunday as part of a ''complementary vaccination campaign'' for people aged over 60 who were fully vaccinated more than five months ago, he said, as concern mounts over the fast-spreading Delta variant.

''I call on all elderly people who have already been vaccinated to receive this additional dose,'' Bennett said. ''Protect yourselves.''

About 55 percent of Israel's nine million population has been double vaccinated, most with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, thanks to a massive campaign launched in late December after an agreement with its producers.

''Israel has already vaccinated 2,000 immunosuppressed people with a third dose, with no severe adverse events,'' Bennett said. ''And now we're rolling out a national third dose campaign.''

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will receive the booster on Friday morning.

''The decision was based on considerable research and analysis, as well as the rise in risk of the Delta variant wave,'' Bennett said.

Israel has recorded more than 1,400 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

More than 15,000 active cases are currently identified, including 151 people hospitalized in a serious condition, according to the health ministry.

''This third dose can save lives,'' Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said.