Some scientists warn that too many shots might actually harm the body’s ability to fight the Covid-19 virus. But Israeli experts say there isn’t time to wait.

JERUSALEM — Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable people to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack of evidence either for or against another booster.

The panel of experts advising the Israeli government on the pandemic recognized that uncertainty, but on Tuesday it recommended giving a fourth dose, concluding that the potential benefits outweighed the risks.It pointed to signs of waning immunity a few months after the third shot, and said that any delay in additional doses might prove too late to protect those most at risk.

But some scientists warned that the plan could backfire, because too many shots might cause a sort of immune system fatigue, compromising the body’s ability to fight the coronavirus. A few members of the government’s advisory panel raised that concern with respect to the elderly, according to a written summary of the discussion obtained by The New York Times.

Israel, a small country with an efficient public health system, was a leader in rolling out the first round of Covid vaccinations and later in giving booster shots, so its results have been closely watched by the rest of the world. Its aggressive pace has put Israel in position to assess early how effective the shots are and how quickly the protection wears off.

“The price will be higher if we don’t vaccinate,” Dr. Boaz Lev, the head of the advisory panel, said at a news conference late Wednesday. Describing the spread of Omicron as “a kind of tsunami or tornado,” he added, “We don’t have a lot of time to make decisions.”

A new British report shows that booster doses are less effective against Omicron than previous variants, and their effectiveness wears off faster — within 10 weeks.

In addition to concerns that a fourth shot in less than a year could actually weaken immunity, some experts said Israel’s government had still not made the most of other options,


Along with the generally sparse knowledge about Omicron, the effect of a fourth dose against the new variant is also unknown. But the country’s medical experts point to waning immunity in those 60 or older, who were the first to receive the third shot starting in August.

The presentation, obtained by The Times, showed a doubling of the rate of infection from Delta among the 60-plus age group within four or five months of the third shot.

Mr. Bennett enthusiastically welcomed the panel’s recommendation of a fourth shot this week, saying, “The citizens of Israel were the first in the world to receive a third dose, and we are continuing to lead with the fourth.”

Germany’s health minister, Karl Lauterbach, said Thursday that he expected Germans would be getting another booster in the next year, depending on how long the protection of the third shot lasts.

“I respect the opinion of those who say better safe than sorry,” Professor Levine said in an interview, “and there is no problem with being prepared. But before giving a fourth shot, it is preferable to wait for the science.”

Another vocal critic, Prof. Dror Mevorach, who heads the coronavirus ward at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, also urged waiting for more data.

“Just because we led with the third dose does not mean that there should be a fourth dose with no scientific basis,” he said. Decreasing antibodies over time is natural, he said, and boosting antibodies may have limited benefit.

At first, many Israelis considered their country’s lead in vaccinating the public to be a privilege and a ticket to a quick return to normal life. But the prospect of a fourth vaccination within a year was giving some pause.

“Like many people, I’m very ambivalent,” said Chely Edery, 59, the owner of a gift store in Jerusalem. “The last thing I want is for my business to close, but I have the feeling that this time, they don’t know enough.”

Benny Muchawsky, 80, an architect, said it seemed like hysteria.

“Israel is the laboratory for the coronavirus vaccine,” he said.


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/world/middleeast/israel-vaccine-4th-dose.html

Yep!

Hubby has had 3 Pfizer shots (along with all his work colleagues).

Yet they are still required to wear masks and gloves AND get tested every 3 days.

Covid19 has mutated. A few times. The Delta and Omicron strands are on the loose but the vaccines being injected into people are not for Delta and Omicron.

If this isn't the definition of a major farkk up by all governments on this planet then I don't know what is.

I'm still unvaccinated.

No Covid19 in our household. Ever.

Covid fits naturally into todays woke world. What matters is to strike the correct attitude and ignore your lyin' eyes. So half the population staggers around in tatty moth-eaten cloth masks hanging off the ends of their noses agreeing with Fauci that an open southern border taking in millions of maskless unvaccinated persons testing positive at a higher rate than the natives is absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the pandemic, no sir.

Also, it's important to follow "the science", even if it was "the science" that created this thing by doing gain-of-function research at the Chinese Communist lab the virus managed to escape from. And you can't blame the Chinese because that would be racist, and racism toward Asians is totally unacceptable, except in US college admissions and daylight sucker-punching in midtown Manhattan. Unvaccinated people are a threat to vaccinated people, and double-vaccinated people are a threat to triple-vaccinated people, and people who submit to annual booster shots are a threat to people who submit to quarterly booster shots, who in turn are grossly irresponsible by going to Christmas dinner at the homes of people with fortnightly booster shots...
Mark Steyn

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/evidence-from-the-uk-suggests-australia-should-have-backed-astrazeneca/news-story/4669c6aec0ffda8a0679af848f1adce3