The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, commented on the morbidity situation in Israel, and returning to studies not in capsules • "Understand the difficulties, but the concern for children's health is growing"
Prof. Hezi Levy
Photo:
Oren Ben Hakon
The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, held a briefing tonight (Thursday), in which he addressed the state of corona disease in Israel, the vaccination campaign and the return to studies not in capsules.
"Only 65% of the population, including children, are vaccinated and therefore there could still be a wave of morbidity, even by mutants entering Israel. I do not think there are currently conditions to talk about a terrible wave or closure. But we do have to keep the guidelines," said Prof. 'Levi.
"We are aware of the mental and physical harm and what the lack of going to school causes to students. We think about it a lot and Egyptians about it. We do not think this concern outweighs the concern for their health," Levy explained the decision to continue a careful opening of the education system.
"We will open the next capsules in a few days, if the disease does not increase. We will also increase the testing routine and we will also open for 11-12. At the same time we are talking about a capsule-free stay of 40-30 students who are not vaccinated and can take the disease. "Also home to unvaccinated individuals. There are symptoms of post-corona and organ damage. So after consulting with experts many prefer to go the more careful way and see what the opening has caused and proceed with caution."
On the trends in morbidity, Prof. Levy said: "We are undoubtedly in a state of declining morbidity, which is leading to a stabilization in the number of verified and hospitalized. Today, about 288 verified patients were discovered with a verified rate of 0.5%. This is very nice. "We are about 290 seriously ill and 163 respirators. Among the patients in critical condition and the respirators and pregnant and maternity women who are hospitalized and among the patients in critical condition, about 80% are not vaccinated. Severe morbidity and the need for respiration are common among those who have not been vaccinated."
Levy went on to address the readiness to vaccinate children, saying: "I hope in May we can start vaccinating children, depending of course on FDA and European authority approval. We will not do that before."
He said during the week a decision is expected whether the children will be vaccinated by the HMOs or in schools.
"After considering with other experts, the conclusion is that the risk of getting the disease in children is also higher than the risk of the vaccine, so we call for vaccination. We are conducted through learning, dialogue with companies. We are also conducted in the field of information. "HMOs and Reaching Out may also have school vaccines. They have not yet summed up the mechanism. Questions need to be answered and concerns about the vaccine raised."
The professor also referred to the rate of immunization in the general population, and the fact that the rate of vaccines in the first dose has dropped to at least ten thousand per day and the fact that there are almost a million more unvaccinated adults, said Prof. Levy: "It is slower. We work with health funds, emergency organizations and authorities Local to make it more accessible more available and more explained.We will not succeed in convincing the whole million but need to do more.We are aware of concerns and false information but when we see 5.2 million vaccinated and the behavior on Passover and now and gradual opening only it should push people to get vaccinated to take part In the activity of the green character. "
Levy estimated that in the end only about 20% of the population will be unvaccinated: "Some of those who have not yet been vaccinated are afraid, some are in principle against vaccines, some are young and think they will not start hard and we are working to get them vaccinated. I guess we can reach 80% of the population. Vaccinate. "" There are currently vaccines to vaccinate the unvaccinated and to vaccinate recoverers in one dose as decided. We are about to vaccinate children and there we will have to recover.
"Unfortunately the agreement has not yet been signed with either Pfizer or Modern because the budget for 2022 has not yet been approved. To secure our place for the vaccine. We will also use Modern vaccines. There are not enough vaccines yet so we can use them and we plan how to use the vaccines," he concluded. His words.
It should be noted that his remarks regarding the stock of vaccines in Israel were in some contradiction to what Dr. Sharon Elrai Price said earlier this week, when she said that there are not enough vaccine doses for recovering people.
Asked whether Pfizer had stopped shipments to Israel, Dr. Elrai Price replied that there were not enough vaccines for all recoverers: "We received all the shipments that were part of the previous agreement.
Subsequent shipments are part of the new agreement that is subject to government approval.
Most of the vaccines in the new agreement are mostly for the 2022 agreement, but there is also an amount to vaccinate all recoverers in the State of Israel and I hope that the agreement will be signed and we will be able to renew the supply. "
