Israeli Survey Finds 3rd Pfizer Vaccine Dose Has Similar Side Effects to 2nd

JERUSALEM—Most people who received a third dose of Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine felt similar or fewer side effects than they did after receiving the second shot, according to an initial survey in Israel.

Israel began offering the booster shots about 10 days ago to people over age 60 as part of efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. That effectively turned Israel into a testing ground for a third dose before approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Israel’s largest healthcare provider, Clalit, said on Sunday it had administered a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to more than 240,000 people.

About 4,500 people, all of whom received the booster shot from July 30 to Aug. 1, responded to questions and were included in the survey.

Eighty-eight percent of participants in the survey said that in the days after receiving the third shot, they felt “similar or better” to how they felt after the second shot. – READ MORE