Israel’s COVID-19 vaccine boosters show signs of Delta domestication

JERUSALEM, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Less than a month after a boost from the COVID-19 vaccine, Israel sees signs of an impact on the country’s rates of infection and serious disease fueled by the variant of Delta expanding rapidly, according to officials and scientists. .

Delta hit Israel in June, just as the country began reaping the benefits of one of the fastest vaccine launches in the world.

With an open economy and most sidewalks removed, Israel went from daily single-digit infections and zero deaths to about 7,500 cases a day last week, 600 people hospitalized in serious condition and more than 150 people dying this week alone. .

On July 30, he began administering a third dose of the Pfizer (PFE.N) / BioNtech (22UAy.DE) vaccine to people over 60, the first country to do so. Thursday extended eligibility to children 40 and older, the second dose of which was administered at least 5 months earlier, saying the age may drop even further.

In the last ten days, the pandemic is declining among the first age groups, more than a million of whom have received a third dose of vaccine, according to data from the Israeli health ministry and scientists interviewed by Reuters.

The rate of spread of the disease among vaccinated people aged 60 and over (known as the reproduction rate) began to steadily decline around August 13 and has fallen below 1, indicating that each infected person transmits the virus to less than one other person. A reproduction rate of less than 1 means that an outbreak decreases. Http://tmsnrt.rs/3grj7kv

Scientists said reinforcing shots have an impact on infections, but other factors are likely to contribute to the decline as well.

“The numbers are still very high, but what has changed is that the very high increase in the rate of infections and serious cases, as well as the rate of spread of the pandemic, has decreased,” said Eran Segal, a scientist at data from the Weizmann Institute of Science and government adviser.

“This is probably due to the third booster shot, the uptake of people taking the first dose, and the high number of infected people per week, possibly up to 100,000, who now have natural immunity,” Segal said.

BOOSTER VS LOCK

Having achieved one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world this month, the question now is whether Israel can emerge from the fourth outbreak without imposing another blockade that would harm its economy.

Evidence has emerged that shows that while the vaccine is still highly effective in preventing serious disease, its protection decreases over time. But there is no consensus among scientists and agencies on the need for a third dose, and the World Health Organization has said more in the world should be vaccinated with a first dose before people receive a third dose. .

The United States has announced plans to offer booster doses to all Americans, eight months after its second dose of vaccine, citing data showing declining protection. Canada, France and Germany have also planned reinforcement campaigns.

To date, approximately one million of Israel’s 9.3 million population has opted not to be vaccinated at all and children under 12 are not yet eligible for gunfire. On Thursday, health officials said they identified declining immunity among people under the age of 40, although relatively few have fallen seriously ill.

According to Doron Gazit, a member of the COVID-19 team of experts at the Hebrew University, which advises the government, the increase in cases of seriously ill vaccinated people in the group aged 60 and over has been steadily last ten days.

“We attribute this to reinforcing traits and more cautious behavior recently,” Gazit said.

More than half of those over 60 have received a third stroke, according to the health ministry.

The rate of new serious cases among unvaccinated patients aged 70 and over is now seven times higher than that of vaccinated patients, and the gap will continue to grow as infections increase, according to Gazit. Among those over 50, this gap quadruples.

“We are optimistic, but very cautious,” Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz told Kan’s public channel on Sunday. “It gives us more time, slows down the spread and we move away from the blockade.”

But even if the proponents slow down the pace of the pandemic, it is unlikely to defend Delta at all.

Dvir Aran, a biomedical data scientist at Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology, said that while the cases are receding, other measures are needed alongside the drivers to stop the pandemic. “It will be a long time before enough people get a third dose and until then thousands more people will get seriously ill.”

Since the rise of Delta, Israel has re-imposed the use of interior masks, limitations on meetings, and increased rapid testing.

Its “coexistence with COVID” policy will be put to the test in September, when schools reopen after the summer holidays and when the Jewish holiday season begins, with families traditionally gathering to celebrate.

Written by Maayan Lubell; Edited by Jeffrey Heller and Dan Grebler

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