So far there are 20 cases in Israel, when three patients infected with the variant were first discovered in Israel yesterday, and not cases of returnees abroad • As mentioned, the Ministry of Health recommended this week that all incoming flights from India to Israel should be stopped,
Corona testing in schools
Photo:
Oren Ben Hakon
Will the flights from Ben Gurion Airport be stopped?
Photo:
Jonathan Saul
Corona testing complex
Photo:
David Cohen-Ginny
The first cases of local infection in the Indian variant in Israel were discovered in several schools.
So far, there have been 20 cases in Israel, when three patients infected with the variant were first discovered in Israel yesterday, and not cases of recurrences abroad. The cases were discovered using genetic flooring.
As mentioned, the Ministry of Health recommended on Monday that all incoming flights from India to Israel should be stopped.
However, this remains only a recommendation, and the government has not yet made the decision and has not stopped entering India from Israel.
Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Levy, last week: "The vaccine may be less effective for the Indian variant" // Photo: GPO
A senior Ministry of Health official said this week that the ministry recommends working with the Airports Authority and the Population Authority to also monitor indirect flights from India.
It is also important to note that most landers from India in Israel arrive via Turkey and not by direct flight.
Prof. Uhor Sahin, CEO of the German company Biontech, which developed the corona vaccine together with Pfizer, said yesterday (Wednesday) that he believes there is a "good chance" that Pfizer's vaccine protects against the Indian variant.
According to Prof Sahin, based on the assessments of social scientists, he is "confident" that the vaccine is also effective against him, as he has demonstrated efficacy against the British variant, among other things.
He added that scientists would test the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Indian variant in the lab within two weeks, explaining that the genetic changes in it were "known to us from other mutations."