Israel approves fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people over 60 and medical staff

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that a fourth Covid vaccine will be given to people over 60 and health workers amid a surge driven by the Omicron variant.

"The Omicron wave is here and we must protect ourselves," Bennett told a news conference.

He said the health ministry had approved the booster jab for people over 60 and health workers.

Israel on Thursday authorised a fourth Covid vaccine for those with weakened immunity, becoming one of the first countries to do so.

Authorities on Sunday also reported 4,206 new Covid infections over the past 24 hours, and a 195 percent increase over the past week.

Bennett warned that cases could surge to around "50,000 cases per day soon", urging all adults and children to get vaccinated.

More than four million people out of Israel's population of 9.2 million have received three shots of coronavirus vaccine.

A total of almost 1.4 million cases of Covid infection, including 8,244 deaths, have been officially recorded in Israel.