A military-led task force has warned of the possible emergence of a mutated Israeli variant of the vaccine-resistant coronavirus.
In a report for the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center on Saturday, military intelligence recommended that those who received vaccines or were recovered from COVID-19 should be tested for the coronavirus and fear for the possible development of an Israeli strain. are subject to quarantine requirements when entering the country.
“The mass vaccine campaign, which is taking place in parallel with the active outbreak in Israel, could lead to ‘evolutionary pressure’ on the virus,” the report said.
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Nearly 2.5 million Israelis received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine, and more than 946,000 received both shots. Israel has set a target to vaccinate its entire eligible adult population by March.
A medical worker gives COVID-19 vaccine on 21 January 2021 at a Clalit vaccination center in Jerusalem (Photo by Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
According to two preliminary studies released last Wednesday, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine appears to be effective against the new, more contagious coronavirus variant that was first detected in Britain and has since been found in dozens of countries. The strain, known as B.1.1.7, has alerted experts due to the increased ability to spread and recharge virus outbreaks.
But it is another mutation, known as E484K, that occurs in the variants detected in South Africa and Brazil, but not the one from Britain, which’s experts particularly concerned about ‘escaping’ immunity.
The task force report came when the British variant spread in Israel, and experts predicted that it could become the dominant tribe within a few weeks. Israel has also seen more than 20 cases of the South African variant and is closely monitoring the Brazilian strain amid fears that one of the mutations would evade the protection of the vaccine.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday that several cases of British coronavirus variant had been discovered among pregnant women who had been admitted in a serious condition with COVID-19 complications.
The ministry said it had taken samples from ten pregnant women and that six of the seven samples they had completed so far contained the British strain.
‘In view of the recent findings on diseases, pregnant women will be preferred to receive vaccinations. Any pregnant woman who is interested can be vaccinated, “reads the ministry’s statement.
In an effort to prevent the tribes from being imported into Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday will seek government approval for his proposal to suspend all passenger flights to and from Israel for two weeks.
A technician collects samples of nasal swab for COVID-19 in the coronavirus laboratory at Ben-Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, on December 14, 2020. (Yossi Aloni / Flash90)
Netanyahu held a meeting on Saturday night with officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the National Security Council and the Civil Aviation Authority, where an initial agreement was reached to stop virtually all flights, to block the entry into Israel of further coronavirus mutations according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The agreement, subject to cabinet approval, includes the ban on all incoming and outgoing flights, the restriction of arrivals to Ben Gurion International Airport and the formulation of a separate plan to allow special flights for humanitarian purposes. .
People who need to travel may be allowed to do so “in exceptional circumstances” which require the approval of a committee headed by the directors-general of the ministries of health and transport, according to the PMO announcement.
The proposal will be submitted for cabinet approval on Sunday.
The statement said the restrictions would take effect once the government approved them, although it was not immediately clear whether the majority of ministers would support them.
According to an earlier report by Channel 12 News on Saturday, the travel ban will apply to everyone when those are fully vaccinated. Some Ministry of Health officials suggest that the airport will not fully reopen until at least 5 million Israelis have been vaccinated, according to the report, a scenario that could be reached in early March.
Agencies contributed to this report.