Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Shot is Already in Trial at Israeli Hospital

Sheba Medical Center, a major Israeli hospital announced on Sunday that they will begin administering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot to 150 staffs on Monday in a trial aimed at gauging whether a second booster is necessary nationwide.

Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv said its trial would shed light on the effectiveness of a fourth dose and help the decision-makers set health policy in Israel and other countries.

Israel already reported 1,118 confirmed cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, with the number of people infected by it doubling every two days.


A Health Ministry panel of experts has recommended offering a fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to Israelis aged 60 and over who received a booster shot at least four months ago.


Sheba Medical Center did not say how long its trial would last.

Gili Regev-Yochay, the study's director said, "We will examine the fourth dose's effect on the level of antibodies and morbidity and we will gauge its safety, we will understand whether it is worthwhile to administer a fourth shot, and to whom."

The 150 medical workers taking part in the trial, had already received Health Ministry approval and got booster shots no later than Aug 20.

©Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Pool via AP