Only recently has the State of Israel emerged from the fourth wave of the Corona and wished for a calm and quiet Hanukkah holiday;
And here - the Greeks meet us again, this time with a new letter from the alphabet: Omicron.
The new strain originating in South Africa, the omicron, is a cause for concern.
From what is known so far, this strain contains about 50 different mutations, of which about 30 are found in the part of the virus known as the "spike protein", which binds the virus to the body's cells and to which the action of the vaccines is directed.
Some of the genetic changes in the mutations in the new strain are known from previous variants, and some are new.
Still - the hidden rabbi over the visible. The most troubling of all are the rapid rate of infection in the new breed in South Africa, the accelerated increase in the number of verified and the rate of positive tests. If it turns out that the Omicron is responsible for this, we have a new and challenging challenge ahead of us. While the world of medicine and science is trying to understand how the new strain behaves, Israel and the whole world must take a series of immediate steps, some of which were decided by the Israeli government last weekend.
Since the Omicron is expected to arrive in Israel via Ben Gurion Airport, it was decided to close the field for tourist entry and impose an obligation to isolate Israelis returning from each country - three days for the vaccinated, provided the negative PCR test is negative; Negative. Those who claim that these are hasty steps should keep in mind that at this time we have a duty of care, given the fact that we lack information about the new strain. Safe.
One of the issues that will become clear at this time is the degree of effectiveness of the omicron vaccine.
The responses to the vaccine are varied, and it is not necessary that it loses all its ability to protect against the new strain, especially in reducing the risk of a serious illness.
In light of this, greater efforts must be made to complete the vaccination campaign of the entire population, with an emphasis on those who did not receive the booster dose and on the children who have not yet been vaccinated.
At the same time, the restrictions on the 600,000 who refuse to be vaccinated should be tightened, even in one dose.
Another complex issue that is facing us these days is Hanukkah events.
We do not want to disable the joy of the children's holiday, and on the other hand - no one longs for a mass outbreak.
As part of risk management, and in order to reduce the risk of widespread infections, care must be taken to follow the guidelines of the green mark and to perform PCR tests and rapid tests for children who have not been vaccinated, or who are in the vaccination stages.
The new strain is another opportunity to remind policymakers of the importance and necessity of strengthening the health care system, increasing the number of intensive care beds and adding standards.
We still treat patients who have recovered from corona, but their lungs have been damaged to such an extent that only a lung transplant will save their lives.
Apparently, the corona will accompany us for many more years, as many of the Third World countries have not even started getting vaccinated.
In this sense, the State of Israel has a great advantage - both in light of the rate of vaccinators and thanks to an advanced health system, which has proven itself since the days before the epidemic, and even more so during the struggle in Corona.
We have the tools to reduce as much as possible the effect of the new strain.
This is done by following the guidelines of the green character, immunization, wearing a mask, mutual guarantee, and most importantly - without panic.
Happy Holidays Orim.
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