The BBC With 'Fourth Vaccine Dose Works,' Israel and Bennett State That As A Case Record Is Broken

 'Fourth vaccine dose works,' Israel says as case record is broken

Yolande Knell

BBC Middle East correspondent

EPACopyright: EPA

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said an Israeli study suggested a fourth dose boosted antibodies fivefoldImage caption: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said an Israeli study suggested a fourth dose boosted antibodies fivefold

Israel is the latest country to record its highest number of new Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic - driven by the extremely contagious Omicron variant.

Government figures showed 11,978 new cases on Tuesday. The rapid rise in infections is leading to a shortage of Covid tests and forcing Israeli officials to re-evaluate their protocol for quarantining and contact-tracing.

Israel is thought to be the first nation to offer a wide rollout of a fourth Covid 19 vaccine. In recent days, tens of thousands of people aged 60 and older, as well as medical staff and those with compromised immune systems, have received a fourth jab.

Visiting Sheba Medical Centre on Tuesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said early results from a study carried out there showed that taking the fourth dose was safe and resulted in a five-fold increase in antibodies within a week.

The rise in domestic Covid transmission in Israel has also brought into question the value of tight restrictions on international travel.

Many limits are now set to be lifted next week - although the UK and the US remain on Israel’s “red” list.