"Delta plus"
Israel might decide to give elderly people a third coronavirus vaccine without waiting for authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, as the number of serious patients – while still limited – started to climb at a significant pace in the past few days, reaching 125 on Monday night, 24 more than in the morning.
“The significant decrease in vaccine efficacy against serious morbidity worries us,” Health Ministry’s Director General Prof. Nachman Ash said during a press briefing. “It could be that in light of these numbers, we will also start administering a third vaccine.”
According to reports in Israeli media, most of the experts advising the Health Ministry support the decision in principle, even though the debate has been very heated.
The decision might be made in the coming weeks, but some details remain open – for example whether to give the booster to people over 60 or over 70.
In the past few days, the number of serious patients has rapidly increased, doubling in a week: from 61 last Tuesday to 125 on Monday night.
Around 70% of them were people fully vaccinated, mostly elderly people or patients with pre-existing conditions.
At the same time, Ash stressed that Israel has not registered a similar increase in patients on ventilators, which might represent an encouraging sign.
Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also been pushing to immediately start administering a third vaccine.
He told his Likud faction in the Knesset on Monday that, after speaking to the heads of both Pfizer and Moderna, it is clear to him that even if the FDA currently says there is no need for a booster vaccine, Israel still needs to bring the vaccines to Israel that he ordered from Europe so they will be ready to administer when the approval comes.
“We are in the midst of the breakout of a plague that can be prevented,” Netanyahu said.
AT PRESS time on Monday, some 1,538 new cases had been registered, a number that was expected to further increase before the end of the day. Israel had not recorded a similar amount of daily cases in four months.
In addition, three patients succumbed to the virus on Sunday and one on Monday, bringing the July death toll to 33. While they still represent a fraction of the deaths registered at the peak of the pandemic, when dozens died daily, the number represents a dramatic increase compared to June, when only nine people died of COVID-19.
Also on Monday, at least 12 cases of the "Delta plus" variant were found in Israel, Hebrew media reported.
According to Channel 12, most of the carriers of the new variant returned to Israel from Georgia.
Experts say it is still too early to assess the effects of Delta plus. The original Delta variant has proven to be significantly more contagious than previous strains of the virus.
Georgia is one of the countries that is set to enter the list of nations under travel ban on Friday, together with Great Britain, Cyprus, Turkey and Kenya.
The Knesset Law and Constitution Committee, however, decided to postpone the vote on expanding the list.
Committee chairman MK Gilad Kariv asked the government for additional clarification before the vote regarding enforcement of isolation requirements in Israel as well as the effectiveness of the measures in place to obtain special authorization to visit the banned countries.
“It is not possible to expand the list of banned countries while there is no significant progress in implementing more proportionate measures and ensuring adequate enforcement here in Israel,” Kariv said. “The Constitution Committee expects to receive comprehensive updates on these issues before adding more countries to the list.”
The list of countries considered as having the highest risk of infection currently includes Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, South Africa and Uzbekistan.
The committee confirmed the inclusion of Spain and Kyrgyzstan, which were added to the list last Friday.
Israeli citizens and permanent residents are not allowed to visit such nations unless they obtain permission from a special governmental committee.
KARIV ASKED for an explanation about the low number of approvals granted by the Exception Committee.
“According to the Health Ministry, in the past week some 400 identified cases from banned countries entered Israel,” he said.
“I want to know if they used public transportation, if they checked on them during the quarantine, if the rules were broken. I have no doubt that the low rate of approvals by the Exceptions Committee is also related to the fact that we do not trust what happens when they return.”
The committee will meet again before Friday, Kariv said.
“If we do not receive answers first, the committee will not hold a vote and the issue will go before the plenum – or we will shorten the period of effect of the regulations to 48 hours or overturn them.”
Later in the day, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that unvaccinated tourists avoid Israel in light of its COVID spike.
In order to curb the outbreak, starting on Thursday, access to all gatherings of more than 100 participants will be limited to green pass holders – individuals who are vaccinated, recovered or who underwent a corona test within the previous 72 hours. From August 8, the tests will need to be paid for by the test takers.
Children under 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine are exempt from the green pass outline.
By August 8, rapid testing stations will be widely available around the country, Ash said in the press briefing.
Asked about plans for the upcoming school year proposed by the Education Ministry, he denied that the Health Ministry had agreed to a special quarantine outline for students and teachers allowing them to isolate for only 48 hours after being exposed to a verified case.
“We are not accepting the proposal of an isolation period of 48 hours, a negative test and return to the classroom,” Ash said. “It is not possible; it would allow infection to spread.”
MEANWHILE, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that without adequate funding for the health system, he does not intend to support the budget.
“At this stage, there is no progress with the Treasury regarding the budget for the health system,” he told his Meretz faction. “If we do not reach a clear agreement with the Treasury on strengthening the system’s infrastructure for the years to come, there will be a very big crisis. Without a solution for the health care system, we will not be able to pass a budget.”
Channel 13 reported that Horowitz was encouraged to issue the threat by his new adviser on the state budget, former justice minister and Histadrut chief Avi Nissenkorn. The report said that the Finance Ministry has refused to negotiate with Nissenkorn, who is known for being a tough negotiator.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.