About nine in 10 people who received a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine during an Israeli booster campaign reported similar or fewer side effects than they did after their second shot, an initial survey has found.
Israel began offering a third dose of the shot on July 30 to people aged over 60, as part of efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19.
Israel’s largest healthcare provider, Clalit, said on Sunday it had administered a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to more than 240,000 people.
About 4,500 people, all of whom received the booster shot between July 30 and August 1, responded to questions and were included in the survey, Reuters reported.
Eighty-eight per cent of participants in the survey said that, in the days after receiving the third shot, they felt “similar or better” to how they felt after the second shot.
Thirty-one per cent reported some side effects, the most common being soreness at the injection site.
About 0.4 per cent said they suffered difficulty breathing, and 1 per cent said they sought medical treatment owing to one or more side effects.
Ran Balicer, Clalit’s chief innovation officer, said that even though the results were “initial and self-reported”, they allowed for a comparison of side effects with the second dose.
"It turns out that in most cases they are similar or less in the booster," he said.
“Although we do not yet have long-term research on the efficacy and safety of the third booster dose, for the personal risk management of any person aged 60-plus, these findings continue to point to the benefit of immunisation now, along with careful behaviour among adults and avoiding gathering in closed spaces,” Mr Balicer said.
The decision to offer a third dose was announced on Thursday by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, making Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.
″Israel is a pioneer in going ahead with the third dose for older people of the age of 60 and above,″ Mr Bennett said at the time.
More than 62 per cent of the country's population of 9.3 million have been vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of a mass inoculation campaign.
Drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech have asked US and European regulators to approve a booster dose following a two-shot regimen of their vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation.
The US Food and Drug Administration is aiming to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots by early September, The New York Times reported.
But the World Health Organisation has called for vaccine booster plans to be put on hold until at least the end of September to allow for vaccination rates to improve worldwide.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
Indika
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
