Israel records 4 cases of S. African COVID-19 variant

The Ministry of Health said on Saturday that four had tested positive for the novel type of coronavirus first discovered in South Africa, with dozens of cases of the new British variant already registered.

The diseases were found in travelers who came from South Africa.

Israel records 4 cases of S. African COVID-19 variant

Image / coronavirus mutation

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Both new strains are reported to be more contagious than other variants of the virus.

Israel has launched a nationwide vaccination program and more than 70 percent of Israelis over 60 years have received the first dose, with some 1.817 million jobs already managed, according to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who received his second injection on Saturday, said in a brief statement on Israeli television that all Israelis could be vaccinated within two months and “no later than the end of March ”.

ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו מתחסן נגד קורונהראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו מתחסן נגד קורונה

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

(Photo: Miriam Elster)

Netanyahu announced Thursday that it has signed a contract for adequate doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for all Israelis over 16 to be included.

A laboratory study carried out by Pfizer last week found that its vaccine appeared to be working against a major shift in new transmissible variants of the coronavirus found both in the UK and abroad. in South Africa.

The peer-reviewed study by Pfizer and scientists from the Medical Branch of the University of Texas showed that the vaccine was effective in neutralizing a virus called N501Y of spike protein.

Reuters contributed to this report

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