Israelis rush to get boosters in mass campaign for 3rd COVID-19 shots
CBC
Israel's fierce fourth wave of COVID-19 cases may be in retreat, but the country is on the offensive against the coronavirus once again — with an unprecedented round of vaccine boosters for everyone older than 12.
As of this week, millions of Israelis who were considered fully vaccinated with two shots lose that status unless they get one more. Their "green pass" will hit a red light, once again denying them access to public places like restaurants, gyms and movie theatres.
"I think it's an aggressive decision to be making," said Jamie Blumenthal, who was taking his daughter to a public pool in Jerusalem. He has a new green pass.
"Vaccines are good, but the question is, do we need to keep on inoculating ourselves over and over and over again if we have what we need in our system?" Blumenthal told a freelance CBC crew.
Israeli experts say they don't know about future boosters, but they are confident about this one.
"We were brave enough going with the third dose because we had data for Israel and we were sure this was the right thing to do," said Dr. Itamar Grotto, a former associate director general of the national Health Ministry and an expert in viral diseases at Ben Gurion University.
"It's also good for the young people," he said in an interview with CBC, "because we saw a lot of young people getting the disease after two doses."
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.