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Israel considers canceling Green Pass for those without booster shot

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said there was no justification for giving a Green Pass to people who had not gotten the third, booster vaccination dose.
Man receives third shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 24, 2021, in Holon, Israel.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz warned Aug. 24 that Israel might cancel the Green Pass of people not inoculated with three doses of the coronavirus vaccine. “This is simply because, in terms of its effectiveness, the vaccine is valid only for a period of five or six months. After about half a year, you have to get a third dose. Otherwise, the vaccine loses its power. The Green Pass testifies that a person is safe in a certain way. So the moment we know that the vaccine loses its effectiveness after a certain period, there’s no justification for giving a Green Pass to someone who hasn’t gotten another dose,” said Horowitz.

The head of public health services at the Health Ministry, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, said Aug. 24 that in view of the continuous surge in coronavirus cases, more limits on social gatherings must be implemented, even those held under the Green Pass system. Israel on Aug. 24 reported nearly 10,000 new coronavirus cases, for the first time since January 2021.

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