Israel’s elderly to get the third Pfizer jab soon

A medic performs a swab test on a child in a vehicle at a Home Front command drive-through testing complex in Jerusalem. Pic/AFP

Israel is expected to start vaccinating the country's elderly citizens against Covid-19 with a third dose of the Pfizer jab, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Thursday.

A vast majority of its Management Team of Epidemics recommended vaccinating the elderly, but opinions in the group were divided over the minimum age to be vaccinated, which ranges from 60 to 70, the Ministry said.

The recommendation was passed to the Director General of the Ministry, Nachman Ash, who would decide within days when the third vaccination jabs would begin and at what ages, reports Xinhua news agency.

The vaccination campaign in Israel began on December 20, 2020, and was intended in the first phase for medical staff, people aged over 65, and chronic patients.

Since then, the vaccine eligibility age has gradually decreased, and currently all people aged 12 and over are eligible to get vaccinated with the first and second doses.

On July 12, Israel started offering the third dose for adults with weak immune systems.

WHO reports sharp spike in Covid deaths

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that a "sharp" jump was reported in the number of the global Covid-19 deaths in the week between July 19-25.
In a statement on Wednesday, the world body said that with over 69,000 fatalities, the number of Covid-19 deaths reported during the period increased by 21 per cent week-on-week, Xinhua news agency reported. Most of the new deaths were reported from the America and South-East Asia Regions, said the WHO.

Ireland reports highest single-day cases

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland has increased to 295,386 after it reported the highest single-day infections since February, according to the latest data from the country's Department of Health. On Wednesday, another 1,408 people tested positive for the virus, while a total of 152 Covid-19 patients were being treated in hospitals across Ireland, Xinhua news agency quoted the department as saying in a statement.

Japanese officials alarmed over rising Covid-19 cases

Japanese officials sounded the alarm on Thursday as Tokyo saw record-breaking Covid cases for the third day with the Olympics well underway. "We have never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said.

Norway postpones reopening 2nd time

For a second time, Norway will postpone the final stage of the country's reopening plan for another two weeks out of concerns over the fast-spreading Delta Covid-19 variant, according to Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Hoie.

New Zealand grants provisional approval of AZ vax

New Zealand's regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine for individuals aged 18 and above. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses of the jab, enough for 3.8 million people, through an advance purchase agreement with the company last year.

6,14,012
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

19,62,00,776
Total no. of cases worldwide

41,92,223
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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