(Bloomberg) — A leading Israeli hospital will begin a study on Monday to determine the safety and efficacy of a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose.
Sheba Medical Center will administer a fourth dose to 150 medical workers who were vaccinated with third doses before Aug. 20 and currently have a low antibody count, according to a statement from the hospital late Sunday. The trial is being done in conjunction with Israel’s Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced last week that the government would adopt the recommendation of a panel of experts to inoculate older adults and medical personnel with a fourth dose of Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine in a bid to shore up protection against the fast-spreading omicron variant.
However, a few days later, the Health Ministry said its director general had not yet decided whether to go ahead with the immunization drive. Some experts had questioned the wisdom of a fourth shot given the paucity of supporting data.
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