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.
On Aug. 8, Israel expanded the Green Pass system. Only people holding the Green Pass can now enter event venues, conference halls, culture and sporting events, restaurants, cafes, gyms, hotels and movie theaters, regardless of the number of participants or the number of people present there. The Health Ministry is also considering limiting family gatherings during the upcoming Jewish holidays, and especially on the Jewish New Year on Sept. 6.
Israel started vaccinating with a third dose some three weeks ago. The campaign began by offering the booster dose to people vaccinated twice five months ago at the least and age 60 and above. The campaign later expanded to include people 50 and above, and then also people forty and above. On Aug. 24, it was expanded to people 30 and older. A statement from the Health Ministry on Aug. 24 said its decision to lower the age of eligibility for a third booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine from 40 and above to 30 and older was made following recommendations from its panel of experts. The Health Ministry expects opening booster doses for younger ages in the coming days.
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