Amid rising cases of Omicron, a preliminary study by Israeli researchers has shown that the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold in just a week after the shot is administered, PM of Israel said on 4th December.

Israel has become the first country to roll out the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to health workers and people aged 60 years old and those with weakened immune systems. According to him, the initial results show the fourth dose is as safe as the third dose.

The increase in antibodies after a fourth dose indicates "a very high likelihood that the fourth dose will protect vaccinated people to a great degree, against infection to some degree and against severe symptoms", he was quoted as saying. The level of breakthrough infections was one of the reasons that brought the Health Ministry to approve an additional shot for the population over 60, the report said.

"This is a very, very contagious variant, as we see. Morbidity rises and surges every day. The best answer is the vaccine," said Health Ministry Director-General, who also got inoculate. "We discussed a lot about the fourth vaccine, it took a few days to approve it, but now that we did, we are sure that it will help us as individuals to deal with the disease and help us as a country to deal with the pandemic," he noted.