"The omicron will not fade by itself like the delta":
Prof. Ran Blitzer, head of the expert cabinet advising the government and a member of the team for treating epidemics, has today (Wednesday) a briefing for ultra-Orthodox sector reporters against the spread of omicron strain in Israel and rising morbidity data.
Prof. Blitzer praised the mobilization of the heads of the ultra-Orthodox community, including Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, in an effort to vaccinate the children.
"We are in a critical period, which on the one hand needs to be recognized that we have a lot of uncertainty," explained Prof. Blitzer.
Prof. Blitzer presented a pessimistic forecast: "We are facing a wave of illness that we probably can not prevent. We can delay it for another week or two but no more. In addition, it is clear to most people that once the wave spreads it will not spread like other waves." .
As you may recall, last night the Corona Cabinet made a number of decisions to tighten restrictions, including a ban on sitting at food stalls in malls.
Also, the list of red states banned from flying was officially expanded after the approval of the Constitution Committee yesterday.
"Are in a critical period."
Prof. Ran Blitzer, Photo: Yuval Chen
Prof. Blitzer referred to the same decisions: "We are now in a period of borrowed time to make decisions and implement them when it comes to population protection. It will meet the Omicron strain in the next two months. Larger percentages than previous varieties, this is the working assumption. Fifteen a week.We are not used to such numbers.We received a gift, a few weeks to complete preparations.
"The disease in the Delta - when this strain causes disease in children, it knows how to cause significant effects that endanger the child. This happens at a rate that comes from the world 1 in 3,000 children. In the State of Israel 1 in 2,500. Not uncommon. Given the fact that hundreds of children become infected every day. "We really want to prevent this. There is evidence that receiving a vaccine significantly reduces the usual morbidity and in pimples (syndrome in children who recover from coronary heart disease; HG). The solution is pediatric vaccines."
As early as last night, the epidemic treatment team recommended that a fourth vaccine be given to those aged 60 and over, as well as to at-risk populations.
Prof. Blitzer, a member of the same team, commented on the issue of vaccines: "We know and have studied the rates of side effects of the vaccination. We have proven that the disease largely passes on its own. When you take into account the benefits the spoon is clearly in favor of vaccination. In a dose of one third of the adults. "
Came out with a clear call to vaccinate the young as well.
Rabbi Kanievsky, Photo: Photo: David Cohen - Ginny
Blitzer also praised the activities to encourage vaccines in the ultra-Orthodox sector, after this week Rabbi Kanievsky also issued a clear call to vaccinate the students of ultra-Orthodox educational institutions: "When we presented the considerations to the greats of the generation, they clearly stated To protect children from the negative effects of the disease with the help of immunization.
"Millions of children in the world have been vaccinated in two doses, and so far we have not heard a sign of this or that problem. The most urgent thing for me is 400,000 people, aged 40 plus, who received two doses and not the booster. Data from around the world Delta too, but they are even more exposed in the omicron.
"We do not yet know the severity of the disease. Still, even the disease which is three times less hospitalized than the delta, when it infects 10 times it produces at the audience level a cumulative difficulty and a greater price. It will not fade by itself as the delta faded, it will continue to spread. "Vaccine prevents disease from spreading. We can not do that."
The danger of congestion on hospitals still exists.
Corona Department, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"The goal of vaccinating children is to protect children. I do not think that vaccination of children is important in protecting other groups. Children need to be vaccinated so that they do not suffer from the complications of pimples, rarer complications and long cob. "Understand their extent. All this can be prevented through vaccination. The children will be protected, and it is to be assumed that like the adults there will be a decline after a while and they will need a third dose. For the omicron strain they will be protected."
Prof. Blitzer added: "It is important to prepare the health system for a higher number of cases. Instructions have been given to expand the green character and activate it more closely. Unfortunately at Omicron we are in a new paradigm. We have not seen a country that can lower the R (infection coefficient; C) Below 1. The impression of the Ministry of Health is that its decline is beginning to decline which is reminiscent of the decline of the second dose.
"It has consequences. Fortunately we do not have a lot of serious illness, but we probably see the vaccine's ability to protect against infection four months after receiving the booster. So probably this strain will spread more. I hope the disease will be milder, but some of the data we still do not know.
"Delta wave knew to make another wave. We have another three million vulnerable because they did not get a booster. There is a possibility that we will see a spread of Delta. At Omicron there is potential for rapid rise, and leave Delta behind. This is what is expected to happen in other countries, we hope to catch all Such a patient and delay the spread.Most of the patients from Omicron are currently people who came from outside.But it will not hold much longer.It may already be spreading uncontrollably and we do not know it.Maybe we will have another week.
"The question of whether there will be insufficiency in the hospital system depends on the number of infections at the peak and the rate between infected and critically ill. The assumption is that it will be several times what we have seen so far. In terms of severity - a question mark.
Prof. Blitzer commented on future data that will shed light on the strain: "The British will publish a report today that they think reveals how many times the disease causes hospitalization, I do not know what the answer will be there.
After the answers, it will be possible to do the simulations and understand how dangerous it is.
The government is well aware of the risks in the current situation and the ministers are looking for the solutions.
They understand that we are in a strategically different situation than we were in the past, and hence some of the goals change.
"If in the past our goal was to stop the wave, so that we reach a small hole from one, the assumption is that it is very difficult to completely happen but to delay. Protect the populations as much as possible. Strict restrictive measures should only be taken in very exceptional cases. "Of patients. It will not be responsible for determining how many patients will be at the peak. It will not be responsible."
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