Israeli Health Leaders: Omicron Surge Could Bring About Herd Immunity, 4th Dose Boosts Protection

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel saw a record 11,978 new COVID cases on Tuesday, the highest-ever reported in a single day. Health officials believe it’s possible the Omicron wave may eventually lead to herd immunity in the country.

“The price of herd immunity is very many infections, and that may end up happening,” Health Ministry director-general Prof. Nachman Ash said on Sunday in an interview with Radio 103FM. “The numbers need to be high to reach herd immunity, it’s something that is possible.”

Herd immunity describes the point when a population is generally immune from an infectious disease either because enough people got vaccinated or recovered from an infection.

Ash said it's better to reach herd immunity through vaccination than mass infection.

“We don’t want to reach it by means of infections, we want it to happen as a result of many people vaccinating,” said Ash.

Israel’s former coronavirus czar, Prof. Ronni Gamzu, also expressed optimism that herd immunity could soon be on the horizon.

“We will see a higher number of recovered people after Omicron,” Gamzu told the Times of Israel. “Altogether, the recovered people plus the vaccinated and boosted people will give us herd immunity.”

Health officials warn that new restrictions could be imposed if there’s a sharp increase in hospitalization. Israel has seen a moderate increase in serious COVID cases. The Health Ministry says 125 people are in serious condition, up from 77 on Dec. 22. The vast majority of people in serious condition are unvaccinated.

Prof. Gamzu predicts that the current outbreak likely won’t overwhelm hospitals.

As case numbers continue to rise, Israel is hoping to beat Omicron by making available an extra booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine to those most at risk. Israel has made the fourth dose available to immunocompromised individuals, people over 60, and healthcare workers.

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called the second booster campaign a “great success” and the Health Ministry says more than 24,600 people have received their fourth shot.

Bennett said on Tuesday that preliminary data on the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose shows that it safely brings about a five-fold increase in antibodies against the coronavirus.

"We have news, big news. A week into the fourth dose we know at a high degree of certainty that the fourth dose is safe,” said Bennett.  “That's the first piece of news. The second piece of news, we know that a week after the administration of the fourth dose, we see a five-fold increase in the number of antibodies in the vaccinated person. This most likely means a significant increase in the protection."