Israel has become the first country to approve a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for the immunocompromised as it prepares for a wave of infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.
Nachman Ash, director general of Israel's health ministry, announced late on Thursday the decision to provide a fourth dose was based on early research, and that officials will consider expanding the administration of a fourth dose to more of the public as they assess the situation, Associated Press reported.
An expert panel had recommended last week to extend the second booster dose to those over 60, but the suggestion was not approved. “An Israeli hospital administered fourth shots to a test group of health workers on Monday, in what it called the first major study into whether a second round of boosters will help contend with the Omicron variant. Results are expected within two weeks,” Haaretz reported.
“Israel was among the first countries to roll out Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine a year ago and began freely offering boosters last summer. But it still saw a wave of infections blamed on the Delta variant, and officials have warned of another driven by the fast-spreading Omicron. Israel currently has more than 20,000 active patients, including 94 who are seriously ill. At least 8,243 people have died from COVID-19 in Israel since the start of the pandemic,” Associated Press reported.
Peak over in South Africa?
Meanwhile, amid global worry over the Omicron variant, data from South Africa could offer hope. The existence of the Omicron variant was first flagged in South Africa in late November and the country saw a surge in cases.
The South African government said data from its health department suggested the country had passed the peak of its Omicron wave without a major spike in deaths, The New York Times reported.
“All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level,” a government statement on Thursday said. “Data from the Department of Health showed a 29.7% decrease in the number of new cases detected in the week ending December 25 compared with the number of cases found in the previous week, at 127,753,” Reuters reported.
“The speed with which the Omicron-driven fourth wave rose, peaked and then declined has been staggering. Peak in four weeks and precipitous decline in another two. This Omicron wave is over in the city of Tshwane. It was a flash flood more than a wave,” Fareed Abdullah of the South African Medical Research Council was quoted as saying by The New York Times.
South Africa witnessed approximately 23,000 cases daily in mid-December. “In South Africa, overall case counts have been falling for two weeks, plummeting 30 per cent in the last week to an average of less than 11,500 a day. Confirmed cases declined in all provinces except Western Cape and Eastern Cape,” The New York Times reported.
Given the dip in cases, South Africa on Thursday lifted its night curfew with immediate effect.
