Israel Needs to Learn to Live With COVID-19 as the Virus is Here to Stay, Says Professor

Authorities are warning that a fourth lockdown is just around the corner, but an Israeli expert says it is not an efficient solution and the only way to protect the population is through vaccination. The problem is that vaccine hesitancy is still strong.

In Israel, the growth in daily coronavirus cases continues to pose a challenge for experts and officials alike.

On Thursday, nearly 3,500 people contracted the virus, four times the number that was registered in Israel at the beginning of the month.

More than 26,000 Israelis are currently sick with the virus. Some 262 individuals are in serious condition, while 68 are connected to ventilators.

Factors Behind the Spike

Nadav Davidovitch, chair of the Israeli Public Health Physicians Association, says the current wave can be attributed to a number of factors.

First, the outbreak of the Delta strain, believed to be 70 percent more contagious than the original virus. Second, so-called "pandemic fatigue" and the fact that many Israelis fail to adhere to regulations set by the government. And, lastly, a slowdown in the vaccination drive. 

In December, when the mass vaccination campaign kicked off, many Israelis rushed to get inoculated. Today, a total of 5.3 million of Israel's 9 million citizens have been vaccinated. But over one million doses are still waiting for eligible residents to come and claim them.

A similar situation is being observed with the third dose. According to estimates, there are 1.3 million elderly people in Israel. So far, only 200,000 have received the jab. 

Joint Efforts Needed

In recent weeks, Israeli authorities have gone to great lengths to encourage people to get vaccinated. President Isaac Herzog even set an example by getting the third dose of the vaccine. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett followed suit vaccinating his elderly mother. But many are still hesitant about getting a jab.

Davidovitch says it is tough to pinpoint one reason for the reluctance to get vaccinated. "Out of one million people, who haven't been vaccinated, there is a small fraction that is anti-vaccines. They won't get vaccinated no matter what. Many others are afraid, especially as they are being fed by fake news about the vaccine being unsafe and the fertility issues it might be causing".

The expert believes that Israel can change this trend and get more citizens to the nation's vaccination centres. But the state, says Davidovitch, needs to make a greater effort to encourage people to do so.

"We need to work with municipalities, youth movements, and religious leaders. We need to get to the remote Bedouin villages, Arab and Russian communities and raise their awareness and the importance of the vaccination".

In the past, Israel has failed to encourage those communities. In February, for example, it was reported that only 63 percent of Israeli Arabs had requested to get the jab. The percentage in the Ultra-Orthodox sector was even lower, just 53 percent.

Recently, when Israel started vaccinating its youngsters aged 12 to 15, history repeated itself. The Israeli media reported that the numbers in the aforementioned communities were significantly lower than among the rest of the population.

This is why Davidovitch believes that in addition to intense advocacy work and calls by politicians, Israel also needs to come up with economic incentives and work closely with civil society to encourage people to get inoculated. 

Israel also needs enforcement. 

The enforcement of its mask policy, of its "green pass" granting entry to vaccinated or recovered people, and the regulation of airports that allowed the Delta variant in.

what does the future hold?

If Israel doesn't follow that path and continues its policy of "business as usual", Davidovitch warns, numbers will continue to rise and that will eventually lead to more losses and deaths.

What it will also translate into is a potential lockdown, the fourth in two years.

Authorities are already warning that the closure might take place at the end of August and will reportedly last through the holiday season, with an option to be extended for another half a month. But Davidovitch cautions this is not the solution. 

"It has many side effects and it might not be that efficient because people are tired of the situation and they might not adhere to the rules set by the government. So we need to adjust, learn to live with the virus because COVID-19 is here to stay".