On Sunday, Israel retracted part of its policy regarding the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that contrary to a recent announcement, cancer patients should only receive two doses. On Monday, Israel began administering a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to patients with weakened immune systems, including those who have undergone heart, lung, and kidney transplants, as well as some cancer patients.
However, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday that after reviewing data from hundreds of patients in oncology departments, "the recommendation at this stage is not to vaccinate" cancer patients. The ministry added in a "clarification" to health funds and hospitals administering the doses that "about 90% of patients receiving chemotherapy developed antibodies after two doses, and the level of antibodies remained high months after vaccination."
Additionally, it noted, "The vaccination may have side effects that could affect the treatment of tumor-related diseases."
Regarding the third dose, Pfizer and BioNTech stated that they would seek authorization from U.S. and European authorities to provide a third dose of their vaccine, but the European regulatory body stated it is too early to determine whether a third dose is necessary. The World Health Organization expressed concern that a booster shot could come at the expense of countries whose citizens have not yet received the first two doses.
Israel was among the countries that launched the fastest vaccination campaign with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which helped reduce daily infection numbers last month. The decision to move forward with the third dose was made based on evidence "that patients with immune suppression do not develop adequate antibody responses after two doses" and after daily infection numbers began to rise again. A spokesman for Sheba Medical Center, the largest hospital in Israel, told AFP that "dozens" of cancer patients have received a third dose since Monday.
