<Anchor> In
Korea, the spread of Corona is slowing due to strengthening social distancing, but the number of patients in major countries is rapidly increasing every day due to the influence of the omicron mutation, which has strong transmission power. Meanwhile, Israel has decided to enter the world's first second booster dose, that is, the fourth dose of the vaccine. The target audience is the elderly aged 60 years or older.
Correspondent Lee Kyung-won.
<Reporter>
Israel announced that it would expand the target of the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all seniors aged 60 and over.
At the end of last month, we approved a limited fourth vaccination for patients with weakened immunity and the elderly living in nursing homes, but this time we have significantly expanded the target of vaccination.
It seems to reflect the situation in which highly infective omicron mutations are spreading rapidly.
[Naphthali Bennett/Prime Minister of Israel: Omicron is in a different phase than the delta transformation. We must act quickly and decisively.] In
fact, the number of new confirmed cases has risen from 1,000 three weeks ago to 5,000 recently.
The problem is this month.
Israeli researchers have warned that the cumulative number of confirmed cases could reach up to 4 million within this month.
Considering that the cumulative number of confirmed cases so far is 1.4 million, it is possible that there will be more than double the number of new cases in the future.
Israeli health officials also emphasized the need to achieve herd immunity through vaccination, saying that the explosive spread of Omicron could be costly.
In Israel, where the world's first vaccine booster shot, or third dose, was administered last year, about 60% of the total population of 9.4 million has completed the second dose.