Israel has started rolling out a fourth jab against coronavirus amidst an Omicron wave in the country. 

The Israeli Ministry of Health has begun vaccinating people with weakened immune systems and those over 60 after a group of health experts recommended an additional vaccine dose for those most at risk from serious illness from covid. 

Israel has become the first country in the world to widely distribute a fourth dose of the vaccine as it grapples with a surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant. It was also one of the first countries to officially recommend a third dose, a policy that has been adopted by countries all over the world this winter in response to the new, highly transmissible variant.

The country reported over 10,000 cases on Monday, an increase of 4,000 from the previous day and close to its daily record for cases since the pandemic begun. However, hospital admissions have increased more slowly than in previous waves, mirroring what has been seen in larger countries like the UK and USA.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a televised press conference over the weekend, warning that cases could potentially reach 50,000 a day in the country and telling the Israeli people that "We now have a new layer of defence and Israel will once again be pioneering the global vaccination effort.” 

Health officials in Israel have also recently approved two clinical treatments for covid produced by pharmaceutical giants Merck and Pfizer, who produced the vast majority of vaccines received by the Israeli public.

Over 60% of Israel’s population is fully vaccinated, meaning that they’ve either had three jabs or have recently had their second vaccine.

It’s also been reported that Israel has seen the world’s first case of “flu-rona” where a person is infected with both the seasonal flu and covid at the same time. A pregnant woman in Petah Tikvah was confirmed to have both diseases concurrently, although any additional risks of a dual infection are currently unclear.