COVID-19

Pending decision for Covid restrictions in Israel

Health regulators in Israel are considering approving COVID-19 vaccinations for infants and preschoolers as infection rates continue to rise. A decision on reinstating restrictions is expected this week, following the abolition of the last remaining coronavirus prohibition in Israel. The country has seen a surge in critically ill patients, prompting concerns of a new outbreak. Experts warn that if the situation worsens, hospitals may need to reopen COVID wards. Additionally, a new coronavirus variant, BA.5, is said to be immune to vaccines and may become the dominant form.

Medriva Newsroom

24 Dec 2022 02:59 EST

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As coronavirus infection rates rise, health regulators may approve the use of COVID-19 vaccinations for infants and preschoolers.

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One of the last remaining coronavirus prohibitions in Israel was abolished on April 24, bringing an end to a two-year period of restrictions.

A decision will be made this week for possibly reinstating restrictions, according to an unnamed Health Ministry source broadcast by Kan public television on Sunday.

As of April 2020, masking regulations have been in place for all but 10 days of the year, during which time the requirement was briefly lifted before being reinstated due to an increase in reported incidents. According to Ynet, Israel's Health Ministry will review the problem on Tuesday.

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According to Clalit Health Services' Dr. Doron Dushnitsky, "There's already an FDA guideline, so I don't see why we shouldn't do the same here."

Infectious disease experts have issued a warning about a new outbreak. As of Sunday morning, 158 individuals were listed as critically ill, with another 48 listed as stable. A week ago, 106 people were in serious condition.

On Sunday, R fell from 1.31 to 1.3. 1.52 was released earlier this month. On average, each coronavirus carrier infects at least one person with COVID-19, with an R figure of more than 1. After spending nearly two months below 1, it finally climbed above 1 in mid-May.

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For a few weeks now, Israel has seen an upsurge in the number of individuals who are extremely sick as the country battles the spread of BA.5. If the situation continues, hospitals may have to reopen COVID wards, say experts.

Bar Ilan University professor Cyrille Cohen said last week that the most important metric is the number of patients in serious condition because many illnesses go unrecognized due to a lack of screening. Wearing a mask on a bus or in a mall can help reduce the spread of germs, according to Cohen.

Earlier this week, Salman Zarka stated that the new coronavirus variety BA.5 is immune to vaccines. It is expected that BA.5 will overtake Omicron as the dominant form. For the elderly and immunocompromised, some experts recommend a fifth vaccine dose.

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