Israelis debate on vaccination against the corona every six months

Israelis debate on vaccination against the corona every six months

They decided to purchase the third dose of the vaccine because it was shown that the more contagious delta strain, which has become dominant, easily penetrates the immune protection not only in the unvaccinated but also in the vaccinated.

Now, there is a substantiate fear of the possibility that vaccines do not provide long-term but only short-term protection, and that there is a possibility of introducing a semi-annual vaccination interval.

It is still vague from media reports whether each new vaccine, if it is an mRNA technology will be adapted to possible strains. Israel is a kind of large world laboratory for researching the effectiveness of vaccines, because they were ahead in terms of the speed and scope of vaccination, and the fact that they used the Pfizer vaccine only.

The Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Professor Nachman Ash, is concerned about the growing number of the infected, as well as the growing proportion of Covid positive tested, despite the fact that there is no significant increase in respiratory patients or deaths.

The third dose may protect longer. "I really hope that we will not have to be vaccinated every six months, and have the vaccination at the annual interval, similarly to the flu," said Professor Ash.

It is indisputable that in countries with a high percentage of vaccinated, such as Israel, Iceland, and Ireland (which have implemented severe measures), the cases are now growing rapidly, but there is practically no increase in mortality.

What is interesting to note is that in the group of European tourist countries and Britain, which recorded a sharp incline in cases of delta strain, we are now witnessing a slowdown in infection and a decrease in the number of infected despite an increase in social contacts.

Despite the fact that many countries have seen vaccines stop the dramatic increase in hospitalizations and deaths, more and more health authorities are proposing a third dose, as well as the possibility of regular vaccination.

Given that pharmaceutical companies have greatly raised the price of mRNA vaccines, the issue of vaccination frequency is becoming financially very serious. Pfizer raised the price from $ 15.5 to $ 19.5, Moderna from $ 22.60 to $ 28.5.

Thanks to the profits from vaccines, Pfizer increased its earnings by a third to 33.5 billion dollars last year.

Experts predict that the revenue from the Pfizer vaccine will reach 56 billion dollars, and Moderna will hit 30 billion dollars.