Some scientists warned that too many shots might cause a sort of immune system fatigue, compromising the body’s ability to fight the coronavirus.
Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable people to contain the fast-spreading omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack evidence either for or against another booster.
Israel, a small country with an efficient public health system, was a leader in rolling out the first round of COVID vaccinations and later in giving booster shots, so its results have been closely watched by the rest of the world. Its aggressive pace has put Israel in position to assess early how effective the shots are and how quickly the protection wears off.
In addition to concerns that a fourth shot in less than a year could actually weaken immunity, some experts said Israel’s government had still not made the most of other options, such as vaccinating more of the unvaccinated or giving a third shot to about one million eligible citizens who have so far not received one.Along with the generally sparse knowledge about Omicron, the effect of a fourth dose against the new variant is also unknown.
The panel did not recommend a fourth shot for the wider population at this stage. But it did advise giving the third dose three months after the second, rather than the current wait of five months.
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