There is worrying news from Israel. The “world vaccination champion” has now vaccinated about 57 percent of its population. A week ago, only four coronavirus cases were reported in 24 hours. But suddenly, the country is recording more than 100 new cases for the third day in a row. W: About a third of them are said to have been fully vaccinated!
“We’re shocked, too,” Patrick Mattis of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) told the media on Wednesday. Most cases are likely due to the infectious delta variant. However, some cases have also been recorded in and around schools. Mathis puts into perspective: “So in populations that may not have been vaccinated yet.”
If it continues like this, Israel will respond quickly
In fact, it is said that there are many young people among the newly infected in Israel. Two schools have already reported widespread outbreaks. Therefore, new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, 49, has called for children from the age of 12 to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
In Israel, too, health authorities are trying to keep the ball flat. “Don’t panic,” Bennett said. If the numbers develop like this, Israel wants to tighten the screws again quickly. Wearing masks in closed rooms may soon become mandatory again.
The Federal Council remains cautiously optimisticف
Individual cases notwithstanding, research assumes that vaccination also protects against a dangerous delta variant. Two weeks after the second vaccination with Pfizer/Biontech, protection against this variant was 88 percent – thus not much lower than the conventional alpha variant (93 percent).
Due to the high protective effect of vaccines, the Federal Council has so far been quiet about the spread of the delta variant. Presenting the last opening steps on Wednesday, Health Minister Alain Berset, 49, warned that Israel’s example shows that the situation can rapidly deteriorate. This is why contact tracing remains in place for internal events.
Mattis added that the Federal Office of Public Health is now working on development in Israel so that it can “draw conclusions that are appropriate for Switzerland.” (dB)
Delta variable is increasing: Shall we fail fall now?(01:50)
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