Israel's fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot boosts antibodies fivefold: PM Naftali Bennett

As Israel reported a record 170,844 cases and 259 deaths on Tuesday, and the country started to administer the fourth shot of the vaccine, Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, said that the fourth jab will boost the level of antibodies five-fold, a week later. Citing the emerging evidence, and preliminary findings of an Israeli study, Bennett said on Tuesday that the fourth dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine being given to Israelis aged over 60 and medical workers will provide enhanced protection as has been established by the scientists. The findings of the study, by Israeli researchers, are promising, the Israeli leader said in a video on Twitter.

“First of all, the fourth dose is safe. It’s a safety parameter similar to what we saw after the third dose — that’s good news,” Bennet said on Tuesday at Sheba Medical Center where the study was conducted. “A week after taking the fourth dose we see a meaningful rise in the number of antibodies, a fivefold increase within one week,” he added. “That’s an indicator of a very high likelihood that the fourth dose will protect  against infection to some degree and against severe symptoms.”

4 million in Israel now boosted

Israeli scientists conducted a study on at least 154 people from Sheba Medical Center who had received the third “booster” jab of the Pfizer vaccine before August 20. It was found that after just three to four months, the vaccine’s efficacy had waned. UK’s scientists as well as the European Medicines Agency at the time were reviewing the booster shot’s effectiveness in mitigating the death and hospitalisation from the variant. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has now given the second booster shots in a trial to the healthcare staff members and found that there was an exorbitant increase in the level of antibodies to fight the Omicron variant, as per the state's media reports. 

“We know that a week after administration of a fourth dose, we see a five-fold increase in the number of antibodies in the vaccinated person,” Bennett told reporters. “This most likely means a significant increase against infection and hospitalisation and [severe] symptoms,” he iterated. Israel plans to begin administering the fourth vaccine shot for 150 people using the Moderna vaccine this week Sheba hospital spokesman Steve Walz reportedly informed. Nearly four million of Israel’s population has received two shots and a booster jab against the Omicron variant.