UK, Japan, Israel plan booster jabs of COVID-19 vaccine
Britain will give 32 million people a third shot of coronavirus vaccine in September
The United Kingdom, Japan and Israel are among the first few countries to announce giving booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens, in an effort to slow down the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.
Britain will give 32 million people a third shot of the coronavirus vaccine in September alongside flu shots, reported the Telegraph on Sunday.
The campaign is planned to begin on September 6 and be completed by early December, the report added.
Explainer: When will we need a COVID-19 booster shot?
Japan is also aiming to administer a booster shot next year, indicated Japan's Regulatory Reform Minister Kono Taro, who is in charge of the vaccine rollout, as reported by Nikkei.
Meanwhile, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog received a third shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Sunday, kicking off the campaign to give booster doses to people over 60 years of age. Herzog received a third dose of the two-dose Pfizer jab.
Israel will be offering a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine to people who got their second dose at least five months ago.
"Findings show that there is a decline in the body's immunity over time," Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said during a briefing, as reported by the Guardian. "The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again, and thus reduce the chances of infection and serious illness significantly."