Israel lowers booster age to 30 as COVID-19 cases top 1 million
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Israel is encouraging a third booster shot for pregnant women, health care workers, teachers and people over 30.
Israel lowered the age of eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to people aged 30 and older on Tuesday, a move aimed at tamping down the fast-spreading Delta variant.
The Health Ministry, which first offered the third shot to people with compromised immune systems in June, will expand the booster eligibility down from 40 for those who received their second dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine at least five months prior.
In addition to people over 30, those eligible for the booster include health care workers, pregnant women, teachers, caregivers for the elderly and prisoners. Israel, with a population of 9.3 million, has so far administered the third shot to more than 1.5 million people.
The push for third jabs comes as Israel battles one of the world’s highest per capita COVID-19 rates. Despite being a world leader in vaccines, Israel is struggling to contain a spike in infections caused by the Delta variant and waning immunity among its vaccinated population.
