Israel to present COVID-19 booster shot data to FDA experts

Israel this month will present data from an extensive rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is weighing White House plans to begin a booster drive in the United States.

Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health at Israel’s Health Ministry, said the ministry had been asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to brief its advisors at a Sept. 17 meeting.

“We have been asked to come and present Israel’s experience and our data so that we can truly help the whole world to learn,” Alroy-Preis told Israeli Channel 12 TV news.

A week ago Israel began offering a Pfizer COVID-19 booster to people as young as 12 in a campaign that began in July among seniors. Israeli health officials said the drive has slowed a rise in severe illness caused by the Delta variant.

Officials have said the effectiveness of the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine waned five months after administration, making a booster necessary. A third dose, they said, restored the level of protection of the second shot.