First detected in South Africa, B.1.1.529, a new variant of Covid-19, has an “extremely high” number of mutations. Closely watched, it has just been identified in Israel and is likely to spread rapidly, scientists say.
This Friday, November 26, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced that a "person returned from Malawi" has tested positive for Covid-19, contaminated by "the variant discovered in southern African states". The authorities also indicated that they feared “two additional cases of people returned from abroad” and placed in confinement. Without specifying the number of doses or the type of vaccine received, the Israeli government added that these three travelers were vaccinated against Covid-19.
A meeting with public health and government officials was called by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the wake of the announcement. At the same time, Israel has placed South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini on its health "red list" overnight from Thursday to Friday.
- EFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINES ON THIS STILL UNCERTAIN VARIANT
B.1.1.529 worries because scientists in South Africa have described it as potentially highly contagious. Due to its multiple mutations, the effectiveness of anti-Covid-19 vaccines against this variant is still uncertain. A meeting on this subject is scheduled for Friday at the World Health Organization (WHO).
In Israel, most of the containment measures were eased last spring and the borders were opened to welcome foreigners, provided they are vaccinated, at the beginning of November. The mask remains compulsory inside shops and the sanitary pass must be presented to enter restaurants and bars.
Among the first countries to launch a national vaccination campaign in December 2020 to fight the pandemic, Israel saw 5.77 million of its 9 million inhabitants receive two doses of the vaccine. That is more than 80% of adults. The authorities are also mobilized regarding the booster dose, which has already been administered to more than 4 million people. This week, the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 even started.
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