As most people know, Israel had the fastest vaccination rate in the world, with more than 60% of adults vaccinated already, and the newly allowed 12-16 year old cohort getting their vaccinations. So, Israel gradually reduced restrictions, and we went back to normal lives this month.
That includes vacation travel. Israel is a small country, and only two of our four bordering countries are not officially at war with us, so many people travel abroad. And some, even those vaccinated, are coming back and testing positive for Covid-19. Most of the people who test positive are kids under the age of 12 who haven’t been vaccinated, and are rapidly spreading it to their classmates (we extended school to make up for lost Covid time). But some are adults, and some of those have been vaccinated; they can apparently serve as vectors, although that’s still being investigated. Half of both children and adults have symptoms.
We have a “traffic light” system of designating towns and cities, and one town of some 21,000 people, only about five miles from my town, has been designated red, and at least 2,000 people there are under quarantine. The children of one elementary school in my town are in quarantine, and the school shut down because a teacher came down with Covid. The reports don’t say if she had been vaccinated or not, but most people in my town are.
Foreign tourism, a major source of Israel’s income, which was already beginning, has been halted, and will only begin on Aug. 1. My prediction is that it may be delayed even more, depending on the situation. Twelve thousand Israelis who returned from abroad are in quarantine, and police are going to their homes to verify that they’re staying there. Heavy fines are being levied on each individual if they’re not maintaining quarantine. That includes children — their parents have to pay.
We’ve had over 100 new cases per day for the last four days, and 187 just yesterday. That may seem like a drop in the bucket to Americans, but we were down to low double digits, even under 20 new cases per day, before this. Wearing masks indoors is highly recommended, and will probably be required again starting at the beginning of next week. Many places require them anyway; it’s not a political issue here, so no one challenges it in venues requiring masks, like stores, post offices, clinics or banks. At the supermarket on Wednesday, I saw many people, myself included, wearing them voluntarily. The entire staff did.
In short, we thought it was behind us. It’s not. The government did spring into action, and we’re trying to avoid another wave, without drastic measures, i.e. another national lockdown, or even towns/cities getting locked down.
Clearly, Pfizer’s vaccination is not as effective against the Delta variant as they have said. Apparently, symptoms aren’t as bad in those who are vaccinated, and hospitalizations don’t seem to have spiked, although the rate is increasing gradually.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in the science of the vaccinations, and my spouse and I were among the first in the country to be vaccinated, the second week vaccines were available, in our case on Christmas eve, 2020. (We’re both over 65, the first tranche to be eligible.) But I don’t think that the vaccine is that effective against the Delta variant, and much as we hate it, I think we need to go back to many of our precautions — wearing masks, staying 6 ft (2 meters) apart, reducing contact with strangers as much as possible.
So, be cautious y’all. And have a good, safe and healthy weekend.