Nathan Jeffay is The Times of Israel s health and science correspondent
An Israeli man cuts through a huge face mask as Israelis celebrate the end of the outdoor mask mandate, in Jerusalem, April 18, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prominent scientists say the transformation of Israel from a COVID-19 hotspot to a vaccination success story underlines that any developed country can subdue the virus.
They estimate that a relatively small number of vaccinations are needed to take a country out of crisis mode. The moment that half of the population aged 60-plus is inoculated, authorities can expect a dramatic drop in cases and hospitals are safe from being overwhelmed, they conclude.
Nathan Jeffay is The Times of Israel s health and science correspondent
A worker at an israeli logistics center where coronavirus vaccines are stored and distributed, on January 7, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
A new study shows that Israel’s vaccination program saved many lives by reaching the elderly in the nick of time, stopping the British coronavirus variant in its tracks as it started to spread among the over-60 population.
The extra-infectious variant has proven 45 percent more transmissible than the regular coronavirus in Israel, researchers at Tel Aviv University concluded. The strain has amazed doctors by spreading so quickly that two months after first arriving in Israel, it has come to account for 95% of coronavirus cases.
Nathan Jeffay is The Times of Israel s health and science correspondent
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a certificate after having his second COVID vaccine shot, on January 09, 2021. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Doctors and health experts have been pouring cold water on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel may soon be “done with COVID, period” due to the success of the vaccination operation.
“This is a political, not a professional, statement,” Prof. Hagai Levine, epidemiologist and former head of Israel’s doctors union, told The Times of Israel.
Levine is a known critic of the government, and recently made a brief foray into politics, but numerous others without political connections share his view. According to immunologist Prof. Tomer Hertz of Ben Gurion University, Netanyahu’s claim “is a campaign statement similar to many others he has made.”