In order to protect children and youth from being vaccinated against corona and prevent the development of new mutations, at least five million vaccinated in Israel will be needed • Interpretation
Towards the end of the week, as the cloudy skies darkened over our heads in the wintry weather, additional corona clouds intensified, including the proliferation of new mutations and the pervasive knowledge of public awareness now that children under 16 will not be protected from corona in the coming months, or even the next six months.
Began to be vaccinated with a second dose of corona in a unified clinic // Archive photo: Shmuel Buharis
So alongside the good news with the arrival of the new vaccine shipments, which may be sitting together, the whole family, on Seder night - it is not at all clear now when the studies that will allow vaccination for children and youth will be completed.
While it is known for certain that Pfizer has begun clinical trials in the 15-12 age group, it is not known when data will be obtained that can safely vaccinate this age group, and no one still knows when studies on younger children will begin.
In light of this knowledge, and given the simple fact that we do not have here, in a country that is the world champion of vaccines, any control over the arrival of research data involving children and youth, what can be done anyway?
Some numbers: Israel's population is more than 9 million citizens, and in order to achieve herd immunity, the same immunity that protects those who have not been vaccinated, most researchers estimate that 70% -60% of the population will be vaccinated or have already contracted the disease.
Currently, we are approaching half a million recovering, which means another 6-5 million vaccinated will be needed.
That is, to achieve herd immunity and protect the 16-year-olds who are not vaccinated, 6-5 million citizens need to be vaccinated.
This basically means that 100% of the adult population aged 16 and over should be vaccinated.
Is this goal unfounded?
Senior officials in the health system rely on previous operations, claiming there is no chance we will get there by the end of March.
But the Israeli public knows how to surprise for good.
All it takes is to give good reasons to go get vaccinated.
Fact - Anyone over the age of 60 runs to get vaccinated to protect themselves.
What good reasons would also make young people aged 50-20 run and get vaccinated?
Will the gifts and choppers of the green passport be tempting enough to reach the destination?
Not sure.
What will surely do the job is the following argument: there is nothing more valuable to adult citizens than the health of their children.
If all the young parents and all the young people over the age of 16 understand that by registering for the vaccine, they are also indirectly protecting all their children - there is no stronger spur than that.
As a pediatrician, I see it every day in my clinic, and I'm sure you fully agree with what I said.
Miraculously, and back to the matter of mutations, this is exactly what it takes to eliminate the threat of mutations.
It will not be enough to close Ben Gurion Airport to the next mutations from Britain, South Africa, Brazil, and who knows what other countries. There will also not be enough tightening and tightening of closures; only rapid and comprehensive immunization of all 6-5 million adult citizens will eliminate the virus incubator in Israel. Which unfortunately fuels the spread of mutations within us.
The author is the chairman of the Pediatrics Association, the Adelson School of Medicine at Ariel University, and a physician at Maccabi Health Services.