Those who have had a Pfizer booster jab or have recently been double vaccinated should be protected against the Omicron variant, Israel’s health minister has said.
Speaking on Tuesday (30 November) on a hospital visit, health minister Nitzan Horowitz said that early signs were positive and that “in the coming days we will have more accurate information about the efficacy of the vaccine against Omicron.
“But there is already room for optimism, and there are initial indications that those who are vaccinated with a vaccine still valid or with a booster will also be protected from this variant,” he added.
A local news channel then cited as yet unconfirmed reports that Pfizer was 90% effective against symptomatic infection from Omicron.
This follows from early reports from South Africa’s Department of Health which also claimed that the symptoms of Omicron were “typically mild.”
At a health ministry briefing on Monday, Unben Pillay, a GP from the outskirts of Johannesburg, said: “We are seeing patients present with dry cough, fever, night sweats and a lot of body pains. Vaccinated people tend to do much better.”
