A sharp rise in infections with the Omicron mutation of the new coronavirus could lead to collective immunity in Israel, the country's top medical official said today, as day-to-day infections continue to rise.
The highly contagious Omicron mutation has caused a sharp increase in coronavirus cases worldwide. Infections worldwide hit a record high of just over one million a day from December 24 to 30, according to Reuters.
The death toll, however, has not risen in the same way, raising hopes that the new mutation may be less lethal. By the end of December, Israel had managed to deter Omicron to some extent, but with rates of virus infection now rising, day-to-day infections are expected to reach record highs in the next three weeks.
This could have the effect of collective immunity, said Health Ministry Director-General Nachman As. "The cost will be too much pollution," As told an Israeli radio station. "The numbers have to be very high in order to achieve collective immunity. "It is possible but we do not want to get there through infections, we want it to happen as a result of vaccinating many people," he said.
About 60% of Israel's 9,4 million people have been fully vaccinated - almost all with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine - according to the Ministry of Health, which means they have either taken three doses or recently received a second dose. However, hundreds of thousands of those eligible for a third installment have not yet done so. About 1,3 million coronavirus infections have been reported in Israel since the pandemic began. But between two and four million people could be infected by the end of January, when the Omicron wave could subside, according to Eran Segal, a data scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and a government adviser. In the previous ten days, the daily infections quadrupled.
Serious cases have also increased but at a much slower rate, reaching about 100 out of about 80. As he closely monitors severe morbidity, As is considering allowing a fourth dose of the vaccine for those over 60 after its approval. last week for the immunocompromised and the elderly in nursing homes.
Source: Reuters