Researchers at Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory announced that all 3 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine provides critical protection against the new coronavirus strain.
By Erin Viner
The Israeli study analyzed blood specimens of 20 people who had been inoculated twice between 5 to 6 months earlier with an equal number of those who received the booster jab just a month prior.
“There is a significant protection of the booster dose,” said Sheba’s Infectious Diseases Unit Director Gili Regev-Yochay.
“People who received the second dose 5 or 6 months ago do not have any neutralization ability against the Omicron,” she explained, underscoring that, “The good news is that with the booster dose it increases about a hundred-fold.”
While BioNTech and Pfizer revealed similar conclusions earlier in the week, the Israeli team said they worked with the actual virus, as opposed to the pharmaceutical companies use of a ‘pseudo-virus’ that had been bio-engineered with Omicron’s hallmark mutations.
The finding also found those who have been vaccinated twice do have some protection against the Delta variant.
In related developments, Israel has expanded its Green Pass program to include all shopping malls. Citizens must present certification to entrance guards that they have received all 3 vaccinations, 2 doses or recovered from the virus within the last 6 months.