For Israeli health officials, the proof is in the pudding. Serious cases are now at a five week low, the number of tests returning positive is at a seven week-low and the prospect of a lockdown has evaporated. Schools are open, children above 12 are getting jabs of the vaccine and the unvaccinated make the majority of the severely ill and the deaths.

“It’s good that the US and UK are giving boosters to their elderly,” said a health official, asking for anonymity to speak freely. “But it’s a political decision not to follow Israel’s lead, not a medical one. That the vaccine is not good after six-eight months is no longer a secret.”

In Israel, the booster is now an imperative – those double-jabbed more than six months earlier must get a third jab to qualify for the green health passports that regulate entry into bars, restaurants, public venues like museums and to a large number of offices.