At the beginning of the corona pandemic, there was a great willingness to vaccinate in Israel. Some people now reject the booster vaccination. These are the reasons.
Jerusalem – In Israel *, a large part of the population has already received the first and second vaccination. There is hardly any skepticism about the corona vaccines * as they exist in Germany in the Middle East. Nevertheless, over a million Israelis who have already had two vaccinations do not want to be boosted anymore.
The “booster refusers” make up about 15 percent of those over 16 years of age who are vaccinated. Health authorities and experts are currently trying to find out why this group has had a double vaccination, but has now refused the third vaccination – even though it is clear that the booster is important to curb the spread of the omicron variant *.
Corona third-party vaccination: The young population in particular rejects the booster vaccination
If you look at the people who refuse a booster vaccination, one thing becomes clear: predominantly young people defend themselves against the third vaccination. Of the 16 to 18 year olds, only half of those who have been given a double vaccination have also had a boost. Between 19 and 29 years of age it is 37 percent. The willingness to use a booster increases with age: Only 30 percent of 30 to 39-year-olds are against a booster and between 40 and 49 years, 24 percent do not want a third-party corona vaccination *. This is proven by the data from the Israeli health insurance company Clalit Health Services HMO.
Ruth Baruch, head of a corona vaccination campaign in Israel, told the Israeli daily Haaretz that she had the feeling that people had “lost the will” to get vaccinated. “They thought two doses of vaccine would do it, but now they say to themselves, ‘Now we get vaccinated every six months, like we did with the flu? We are not vaccinated against it either. ‘”
Corona in Israel: parts of the population refuse booster vaccination – these are the reasons
In order to better understand the Israeli phenomenon of “booster refusal”, Washington University in St. Louis carried out a survey of 2,400 Israelis who had already received the first two doses of vaccine and who now refused a third vaccination.
More than 37 percent of those questioned said they were afraid of long-term consequences. 35 percent thought the third corona vaccination was unnecessary and a third named the fear of short-term side effects as a reason for refusing the booster vaccination. One fifth said they were pregnant, wanted to become pregnant or were breastfeeding. Twelve percent believed they didn’t need to be vaccinated while other people did, and nine percent said they didn’t find the time to get a booster shot.
Vaccination campaign manager Baruch confirmed the results of the study. In several phone calls, she spoke to patients and had the impression that the corona pandemic * was no longer a relevant topic. To many, the third vaccination seemed pointless. “People feel protected,” suggested Abed Altif Mahameed, an Israeli doctor, in an interview with Haaretz.
Israel: Health Ministry intensifies corona vaccination campaign
The Ministry of Health in Israel tries every day to promote the vaccination campaign. At the moment the focus is primarily on child vaccination, reports Haaretz. But both children and adults are not successful. Despite the rapidly spreading omicron variant, the Israeli government has not yet found a way to reawaken the population’s willingness to vaccinate.
In Germany, too, children and adolescents can now be vaccinated against the corona virus. Many parents wonder whether it is worth waiting for an Omikron-specific children’s vaccine. * (Aa) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
