Israel announced on Tuesday that it will begin offering a 4th COVID shot to citizens over 60 years old. Reuters reported that the nation made the decision because of the spread of the Omicron variant.
The move is confusing seeing that the nation only has 340 known cases of Omicron. Yet, they are immediately moving to push the 4th shot.
Israel has always maintained its stance behind COVID vaccines since their development. The nation became one of the first to implement the 3rd booster shot, which the US and other nations quickly followed. It seems that is the most likely course following Israel’s announcement and Joe Biden’s comments on Tuesday.
Biden announced that the US was going to double down on COVID vaccines and boosters in light of Omicron. He said that the nation would focus on at-home testing and said that the nation is ready for what is to come as he painted a bleak picture for Americans.
There continues to be a significant amount of discrepancies with the vaccines, however. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has fallen out of favor due to being prone to causing blood clots. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been back and forth on their effectiveness against Omicron.
The data does not lie, however. Breakthrough COVID cases are on the rise across the country no matter how many vaccines someone has taken. Massachusetts reported nearly 14,000 new breakthrough cases in just the past week.
Why continue to jab people in the arm if the vaccines are not preventing COVID? Some experts argue that the vaccines help prevent severe cases of COVID, often preventing hospitalization and death. Many others argue that the vaccines are unproven and the long-term side effects are more dangerous and risky than COVID itself.
It seems unlikely that the vaccine push ends with just a 4th dose. It seems that with each wave, another “booster” is needed to “provide protection.” Protection that does not seem to exist in receiving a COVID vaccine.