Israel PM Bennett receives 3rd COVID booster jab

Israel's Prime Minister on Friday received a third COVID-19 booster vaccination at Meir medical centre in Kfar Saba in central Israel. "Israel is the pioneer of the third dose of the vaccines against the COVID virus, we're seeing profound effectiveness, efficacy of the vaccines. It's working, it's safe, and it's the way to defeat this virus," said 49-year-old Naftali Bennett.

Israel is expanding its coronavirus booster shot program to people over the age of 40. "We from Israel are going to share all the data, all the information, all the insights in this pioneering," said Bennett. "I'm happy to hear that many other countries are following suit because at the end of the day, this is a global war on COVID, and we've got to win," he said.

Israel was one of the world's leaders in vaccinating its population early this year, but in recent weeks, it has seen a surge in cases of the delta variant, even among those who are already vaccinated. Israel last month began offering a booster shot to people over the age of 60, becoming the first country in the world that uses a Western vaccine to do so.

The country's Health Ministry recorded 7,856 new cases on Wednesday, and serious cases have grown from 19 in mid-June to 603. At least 6,726 Israelis have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to Health Ministry figures.