Fourth dose of Pfizer's COVID vaccine tested in Israel

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A team of Israeli researchers concluded that the government's decision last December to allow a fourth dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 60 saved many lives and reduced the need for hospitalization.

Researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Soroka University Medical Center in Beer Sheva, Ben Gurion University, Faculty of Medical Sciences of the Negev, Geriatrics Division, Ministry of Health and the Senior Shield Project examined the health records of 43,775 older people living in long-term care geriatric facilities. Of these, 24,088 received four shots, while 19,687 received only three shots.

They found that receiving a fourth shot increased protection against infection by 34%, reduced emergency hospitalization by 64-67%, and reduced emergency hospitalization by 72 % reduced mortality. Thus, the fourth injection definitely saved lives and reduced the risk of getting into a hospital bed.

Almost 68% of those examined – women, the average age of which was 80.1 years. The average follow-up time was 73 days. After vaccination, coronavirus was detected in 4,058 fourth-dose recipients versus 4,370 third-dose recipients.

Among the Israeli population aged 60 years and over, fourth-dose protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection is generally estimated at 45 % up to 50%.

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