Israel was once a model for defeating Covid, but is facing a surge in new infections

Jerusalem — Last spring, Israel’s very rapid vaccination campaign was considered a global model. Coronavirus infections plummeted, electronic passes allowed vaccinated people to attend indoor concerts and sporting events, and distance rules and mask obligations were finally abolished.

Israel gave hope to the world Get a glimpse of how to get out of the pandemic..

more than this.

The fourth wave of infectious diseases is rapidly approaching the level of Israel’s worst day of the pandemic last winter.The daily rate of confirmed new virus cases has more than doubled in the last two weeks, Israel International chart..

This week, restrictions on rallying, commercial and entertainment venues have been lifted, and the government is considering a new blockade.

“We believe we are in a state of war,” Israeli coronavirus professor Salman Zarka told Parliamentary Commission Wednesday.

Scientists are still assessing how Israel’s pandemic response has fallen into a warning story from a glorious example, and the astonishing reversal has brought a decisive test to Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett. rice field. To overcome the pandemic. “

However, some experts fear that Israel’s high prevalence among early vaccinations may indicate that vaccine protection has diminished over time. .. Start offering booster shots Widely American from next month.

Vaccines may be less effective in preventing infection by the highly contagious delta mutant, which is currently the major version of the virus in Israel. And the first cohort to be vaccinated was an old group whose immune system may have been weak in the first place.

By June, the Israelis were convinced that the worst was over and abandoned social distance and other precautions.

“Everyone has embarked on a project to put off a very difficult year and a half of memory,” said Professor Lan Barriser, a panel of experts who advises the Israeli government on Covid’s response.

“At that time, the paradigm for many was that Israel was the most vaccinated country in the world, and vaccinated people were rarely infected and, more rarely, seriously ill. Basically, very few precautions were taken and, considering all things, the population was very close to herd immunity. That was not a mistake. “

The problem was that what was true of the original virus was “not necessarily true of future variants, coupled with weakened immunity.”

By the end of February, the majority of Israeli seniors had been vaccinated twice with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and now about 78% of the population over the age of 12 is fully vaccinated.

While some Israeli data suggest that early vaccinated people may be at increased risk of serious illness, vaccines help prevent serious illness in infected people. It is still believed to be useful. Deaths in Israel have increased over the past month as infection rates have increased.

Seeing lower levels of infection in the spring, Israel decided to restart its economy, abolishing its electronic pass system, relaxing travel bans and lifting all other restrictions. The last thing I did was the duty of the indoor mask on June 15th.

But a few days ago, the family returned from a Greek vacation to the central city of Modiin, a middle-class commuter hub between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. According to Mayor Haim Bibas, more than 90% of residents over the age of 12 are vaccinated, making it one of the most vaccinated cities in Israel.

However, the family included children who were too young to be vaccinated, and regulations at the time should have spent at least 10 days at home quarantine before the PCR test was negative.

Instead, the parents sent their children to school. Eventually, about 80 students were infected with the Delta variant.

“The child wasn’t responsible,” Vivas indirectly pointed his finger at his parents.

The second outbreak occurred at about the same time in a similar situation at a school in the north.

The Delta variant was subsequently taken over in Israel and is now primarily domestic.

Professor Bariser Was warning In May, despite its early success, the Israeli pandemic was not over. There was an ongoing risk of mutants that could be more impervious to the vaccine. Of the 9 million population, about 1 million eligible Israelis have so far chosen not to be vaccinated at all. He found increasing evidence of weakened immunity among fully vaccinated Israeli scientists, especially among the first-vaccinated elderly.

Data released by the Israeli Ministry of Health in late July Pfizer Shot suggested that it was only 39% effective in preventing infections Domestically in late June and early July, compared to 95% from January to early April. However, in both periods, this shot was more than 90% effective in preventing severe illness.

Experts warn that these initial assessments have not been scientifically proven. The few cases involved, Israeli laboratory policy, and many other biases may have distorted the results.

Still, as summer approached, infectious diseases began to swirl. Up to 40,000 people flew abroad each day, despite school holidays, families crowding local hotels, and Delta variants rampaging around the world. At least 230 Israelis have died so far this month, a few days after Covid’s deaths were zero in June.

Unlike previous epicenters of infection in Israel’s crowded, low-vaccinated, ultra-orthodox community, this tragedy settled primarily in the well-vaccinated middle-class suburbs.

Some experts have accused the new government of being slow to respond.

The resurgence of the infection took place at the same time as Mr. Bennett’s government oath in mid-June. After three blockades by Israel, Bennett took a new approach and decided that the country needed to withstand the virus and stay at full capacity. He called the policy “soft restraint.”

The obligation to use indoor masks was reinstated on June 25, but compliance was slow. Wary medical professionals have begun to seek stricter measures, including curbing all meetings. The government advisory board called for an immediate restoration of the electronic green pass system twice on July and August 1.

“It was only in the last two weeks that the sense of urgency returned,” said Professor Nadav Davidovitch, a public health expert and advisory board member. “What we are doing now had to be done in July.”

However, after the premature euphoria of spring, viral fatigue made it difficult to return to strict antivirus protocols.

“It’s a matter of discipline,” said Professor Gallia Rahab, head of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Institute at the Sheva Medical Center near Tel Aviv. “People are fed up with masks. They want to live.”

Authorities are worried that many Israelis are still unaware of the heightened danger.

“The Israeli people have not yet absorbed that we are in the fourth important wave,” said Tomer Lotan, director of the Ministry of Public Security, who is in charge of enforcement. “We are still in routine mode and feel vaccinated. It’s hard to switch to public discourse and say,’Listen, we’re in a catastrophe.’ “

Israel is currently looking forward to booster shots. Starting at age 60 and over, the drive has expanded rapidly to age 50 and over, and more than a million citizens have already received a third dose this month.Israeli researchers say there are preliminary signs that new infections may develop among older vaccinated people. Began to fall..

Pfizer vaccine booster shots are 86% effective against infections in people over the age of 60, more than a week after the third dose, according to a preliminary study released Wednesday by Israeli healthcare provider Maccabi. Was shown.

NS Global discussion I’m angry with the booster. The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that Americans vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna could get booster shots eight months after the second vaccination.

However, the World Health Organization has said that the vaccines available are more appropriately used to inoculate high-risk people in poor countries where new variants are likely to emerge, with few shots taken. Claims.

Most Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza remain unvaccinated after Palestinian officials Refused vaccine exchange contract With Israel in June.

Professor Davidovitch, an Israeli public health expert, took the third shot. However, he now needs a multi-layered strategy that includes wearing masks, limiting public access to those who have been vaccinated or recovered from the virus, and measures to strengthen the health care system. I’m sure.

“Vaccination should have solved everything,” he said. “We now understand that vaccines are not enough.”