JERUSALEM, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's health ministry on Monday instructed four health maintenance organizations to start offering the third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for adults with weak immune systems.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced the move on Sunday, adding the ministry is looking into the possible authorization of booster shots to the general public.
The move came amid Pfizer's request to the regulators of the United States and Europe for approving a booster dose of its vaccine.
The ministry has reported a steady rise in the number of infections driven by the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. On Sunday, 423 new cases were diagnosed across Israel.
About 61 percent of the country's 9.3 million citizens have been vaccinated with at least one dose, and about 55 percent with two doses. Most of them received the Pfizer vaccine. Enditem
