This week: The Ministry of Health will decide whether the green label will be abolished Israel today

After a series of easings on the issue of dealing with the Corona this week, a decision is expected to be made in the Ministry of Health regarding the cancellation of the green label.

This week, there will be crucial discussions by senior Ministry of Health officials on the subject, in light of the morbidity situation and the fact that more than half of those currently infected with the omicron wave are protected (vaccinated or recovering).

Another reason for the need for an urgent decision is the fact that there are hundreds of thousands whose green mark will expire during the month of February.

"We will have discussions on the subject this week," says a senior health ministry official, adding that "the green character has become a burden. And when we talk about 'living with the corona' of course it is better without a green character. The discussion we have is the epidemiological value of the character. "There is still a Delta virus that has not disappeared and that is where the green mark has value."

The senior added that "we are still standing out but the issue must be decided this week because it will soon expire the green mark of many."

It is estimated that the decision will be sweeping for all industries in the economy.

The possibility is being examined that the green mark will be replaced by a purple mark (crowd limit) that will differ between different areas of activity (trade, culture, etc.) but such a decision has heavy economic implications and this issue is also being considered.

The green label validity of a large part of the population is expected to expire in February or March.

This is because the green label is valid for six months from the time the third vaccine was given and there are hundreds of thousands who received it in August and September.

In addition, for those who have a positive serological test, as well as for children who recover until the age of 12, it has been determined that their green mark will be valid until March.

The recommendation of the National Cabinet of Experts for Corona before the rise of the morbidity wave was to move to the crowd limit (purple mark).

The Association of Public Health Physicians recently recommended that "immunization against corona should be encouraged with professional public health tools and not through a green label policy."

In the first two weeks of January, the average number of vaccinators per day was 62-65 thousand people per day, but in the past week the number dropped drastically and ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 vaccinators per day alone.

According to the senior official, "We are troubled by the numbers. There is a great deal of value to the vaccine and especially to the 'fresh' vaccine. Believing in it has an effect. "

However, the public's response to vaccines is not expected to have an effect on the green label. "In my opinion, this is a secondary consideration in the decision to get vaccinated.

The green sign at the entrance to a public compound (photographed has nothing to do with what was said), Photo: Yehoshua Yosef

Hospitals are currently dealing with 638 critically ill patients with corona and a shortage of staff with 9867 isolated staff.

However, with the approval of the Ministry of Health, a number of hospitals have started hospitalizing Corona patients in “regular” wards.

Another step on the road to life alongside the virus.

The issue came up in a discussion of hospital directors last week and the director general of the Ministry of Transportation, Prof. Nachman Ash, confirmed this.

"This is a step that happens in wards like surgery and orthopedics but also in boarding schools. It is important to remember that some patients are hospitalized in a boarding school and only then are found positive. It's normal, but it requires complete separation. "

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