This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. A third booster shot might be needed if the protection against coronaviruses wanes with time, according to a new report in the British Medical Journal. The study looked at the risk of a Covid infection from 90 days after people received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. It was carried out by the Research Institute of Leumit Health Services in Israel.
More than 1.3 million cases of Covid have been reported in Israel since the outbreak of the epidemic in late 2019, according to the World Health Organization WHO in late 2019. The nation was one of the first to roll out a comprehensive vaccine program in December 2020, which resulted in a laxation of restrictions earlier this year. Since June 2021, there has been a resurgence of infections despite Israel's best efforts to curb the spread of the virus. The vaccine offered by vaccines dips over time, which is a belief that scientists have long suspected immunity to the virus. The emergence of more transmissible Covid variants such as Delta has put increased pressure on health services around the globe. READ MORE: Archaeology breakthrough as rare roman mosaic found in UK field
The Pfizer vaccine offers great protection against the virus in the first few weeks since being administered, according to the new study. The protection will gradually wane with time, according to the findings. Countries like the US, UK, and Israel are now offering booster shots to certain people in a bid to bolster their immune systems. In the United States, infectious disease official Dr Anthony Fauci has called for the overwhelming majority of Americans to sign up for a booster shot. In the UK, booster shots are offered on the NHS to people aged 40 and over, as well as frontline workers and people who live and work in care homes.
Israeli researchers believe that their study could help inform countries about the need for a third jab and when to have it. The study looked at the health records of more than 80,000 adults aged 44 on average. None of the people had previously been tested positive for COVID-19 and were given a PCR test at least three weeks after their second dose of the vaccine. Of the 80,057 participants, 7,973 or 9.6 percent tested positive for Covid. Those who tested positive were then matched to negative controls of the same age and ethnicity who were tested within the same week. Covid cases jump 74 percent - but is your area at risk? The MAP Covid masterstroke: UK closest to leaving Europe to the Pandemic REPORT Covid LIVE: Panic erupts on new super variant'' with 32 mutations LIVE The researchers found that the rate of positive results for Covid increased with time. They found that 1.3 percent of participants of all age groups had tested positive within 21 to 89 days after the second dose. The figure went up to 2.4 percent after 90 to 119 days and then to 4.6 percent after 120 to 149 days. After 150 days, the rates increased to 10.3 percent and 15.5 percent after 180 days. The risk of infection was 2.37 fold higher in all age groups after 90 to 119 days than the initial 90 days after the second dose.