Israel rolls out 5th COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeting omicron

Israel has launched its fifth vaccination campaign, urging people in at-risk groups and those over 65 to get the additional COVID shot.

The fifth vaccine available to Israelis is one that specifically targets the Omicron strain of the coronavirus, which makes up the majority of cases in the country.

Israel's Health Ministry says the new vaccine is expected to boost the body's defenses against the strain and perhaps maintain immunity for longer.

Israelis who have received the first pair of vaccine doses are eligible to receive the newest shot.

On Thursday, a clinic in Tel Aviv was administering the shots and reported seeing good demand.

"The vaccine is good, recommended. We started yesterday afternoon and there is a big demand," said Arsen Arutiunian, an official with the Israeli health provider Clalit.

Israel is currently identifying about 1,000 new COVID cases per day, what's considered relatively low compared to previous waves.

More than 11,000 people have died in Israel since the start of the pandemic. More than 6 million people in the country of 9 million have been vaccinated with at least two shots.

"I received all of the previous vaccinations. So far, touch wood, I haven't been infected even though my entire family has, I've somehow become Teflon," said Eytan Gurfinkel from Tel Aviv.

Israel has been among the first countries in the world to roll out booster shots, although the response to those campaigns has had less success than the initial two inoculations.