The Director General of the Ministry of Health said Dr. Hezi Levi said Wednesday that he would propose to extend the nationwide COVID-19 lockout restrictions, which are due to expire on Friday, to at least Sunday.
“We have recommended it and will continue to recommend that the shutdown last at least until midnight Sunday, and then we will see,” Levi told the Ynet. “If we step out [of lockdown], we will do so slowly and in an orderly manner. “
Police enforce coronavirus lock-in rules in Tel Aviv
(Photo: nadav abas)
“We want several more days to continue the public vaccination and reach definitive protection, especially among those aged 50 and over as morbidity remains very high,” he said.
“Stopping the lock now will hamper our ability to keep the vaccine a few tens or even hundreds of thousands more members at risk.”
Levi also said that decision-makers have not yet devised an orderly exit strategy, but considered that nursery education centers in cities with low coronavirus infection rates would be among the first to take action. reopen.
The Director General of the Ministry of Health said Dr. Hezi levi
(Photo: Gil Yochanan)
Against the backdrop of declining numbers for the world’s most prestigious COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which has left vaccine centers across the country empty, Levi said the Ministry of Health is considering has abolished the vaccine age cap, which is currently at 35, in total, and health officials are expected to make a final decision on the issue later Wednesday, considering supply regulation.
Levy also raised concerns that a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant from Britain, among other changes, could come forward and improve protection against the vaccine.
A health care worker administers the coronavirus vaccine in Israel
(Photo: AFP)
“We are running ongoing trials and at present, the British variant is not resistant to the vaccine and the South African variant is not, according to studies, although the vaccine may not be. so effective against that snoring, “Levi said.
“The virus could come on to be resistant to the vaccine, mutations are very common, and we are seeing that with flu vaccines that are tweaked every year to deal with the most common virus strains. medicine and science say that a new variety can certainly improve anywhere, including Israel, “he said.
“We ran [DNA] lays down a lot of patients, especially to see infectious chains, but not everyone … we put a string of people who get infected after they get a second sight since it raises a red flag. “