Ministry of Health: 58% of teaching staff are vaccinated, the proportion of isolated classrooms in the ultra-Orthodox sector is high • Prof. Levin: "A better response must be given to this population"
Back to school, last week (photographers have nothing to do with the news)
Photo:
Dudu Greenspan
One in ten classrooms (10.3%) is in isolation due to corona disease, with one in eight classrooms in the ultra-Orthodox sector.
The proportion of classes in isolation in the ultra-Orthodox sector is 12.8%, in the general sector - 9.9% and in the Arab sector - 8.3%.
This emerges from data published for the first time by the Ministry of Health.
10.1% of kindergartens are in isolation, while in the ultra-Orthodox sector their rate is high and stands at 11.7%.
In the general sector - 9.7% and in the Arab sector - 8.5%.
Another injustice from the data is that 58% of teaching staff are vaccinated, but there are large gaps between the sectors: 64.5% of teachers in the general sector are vaccinated, compared with 44% in the Arab sector and only a third of teachers in the ultra-Orthodox sector (33.9%).
0.3% of teaching staff and 0.6% of students are now defined as active blues.
Also, 0.6% of kindergarten children are vaccinated against the virus and a similar rate among kindergarten teaching staff.
Back to school after the third closure // Photo: Moshe Ben Simhon, Paz Bar and Newsenders
According to Prof. Hagai Levin of the Hebrew University and Hadassah, an epidemiologist and physician specializing in public health, "the data show that in the ultra-Orthodox sector the percentage of classrooms and kindergartens is higher in isolation and the percentage of immunizations among teaching staff is lower.
Meanwhile, a study published today in the prestigious medical journal Pediatrics examined the issue of infecting children and staff in New York public schools.
It was found that when strict protocols were maintained for the prevention, diagnosis and management of cases of infection in schools there was no association between frontal learning in classrooms and an increase in cases and incidence of corona, and secondary infection was uncommon.
The changes in the outline of education
It should be noted that protective education tests - tests for all students in a particular school once a week - are currently conducted in 19 institutions.
Just yesterday, the Ministry of Health decided to allow the opening of studies in "bright" orange cities as well.
Ministers approved the continuation of studies at institutions in red cities, in the event that more than 60 percent of students performed a corona test once a week.
It was also confirmed that in educational institutions throughout the country, where 90% of 11th-12th grade students are vaccinated or recovering, it will be possible to return to studies as usual, without outlining capsules in these classes.
In localities in the red color where the entire education system is closed: in educational institutions with 75% recovering or vaccinated, in grades 11-12, they will be able to open their studies for them while preserving the layout of the capsules.