This archive report was first published on 31 December 2021.
On December 30, 2021, Israel approved a fourth vaccine shot for vulnerable people, becoming one of the first countries to do so, as cases driven by the Omicron variant surged.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Israel was in a fifth wave, with most cases probably related to the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hailed the approval of the fourth jab, saying Israel would lead the way in administering it to the Israeli people.
Some 4.2 million people out of a population of 9.4 million Israelis have gotten three shots of coronavirus vaccine.
Israel also received a shipment of Pfizer's anti-Covid pill, Paxlovid, which was hailed as an important addition to the arsenal in the war against the pandemic.
Ran Balicer, chairman of Israel's national expert panel on Covid-19, said the Pfizer drugs could dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness and potentially reduce the overall hospital burden.
