Opinion: Despite optimism over successful vaccine roll out and hopes that seriously ill cases would decline, there is much that is unknown about vaccine’s ability to protect from new strains of virus which are only expected to multiply

In the past five days, one in five people who tested for coronavirus in Los Angeles were found to have COVID-19 – with tragic consequences for the state’s hospitals.

Dozens of medical centers have stopped admitting new patients while those lucky enough to have been hospitalized are having to wait for hours while medical teams struggle with overcrowding and a lack of basic medical supplies.

חולה קורונה ב בית חולים ב קליפורניה ארה"ב
Medics treat a coronavirus patient in a California hospital (Photo: Getty Images)

 

In Israel, one in five people in the ultra-Orthodox community who tested for coronavirus on Monday received a positive result.

And although Israeli hospitals are not experiencing the same difficulties as those in California, there is little doubt that overworked medical staff and overcrowding show that hospitals are trending in the wrong direction, with the quality of care compromised.

בדיקות קורונה פיקוד העורף ירושלים
Testing for coronavirus in Jerusalem last week (Photo: EPA)

 

Even with vaccines administered to millions of people, virus cases are still surging, showing that we are still a long way from being able to return to our normal pre-COVID-19 existence.

It is also clear that the virus is mutating, and will increase in strength before it is finally eradicated.

The newly identified variants of COVID-19 are affecting world morbidity in a way that is yet to be fully understood.

Medics in protective gear against coronavirus with a patient at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv
Medics in protective gear against coronavirus with a patient at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv (Photo: Zlila Helman)

 

The so-called British strain is already spreading in Israel and is likely responsible for the recent jump in cases. And with a lack of certainty about the Pfizer vaccine’s ability to immunize against it, it is not yet clear what how much the virus will spread in the coming weeks.

It is important therefore, to remain vigilant despite the cautious optimism at a perceived decline in daily cases in Israel and the expectation that the number of seriously ill people will drop.

So it is unfathomable why the Health Ministry was so quick to announce Israelis who have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine would be given a “green passport” – an app on their phones that would allow them to forgo some of the health mitigation restrictions, before there is more information available about the level of contagion that will remain.

Once again Israelis are looking towards the future, even while their feet are still stuck in the mud.

תלמידים עם מסכות בבית ספר ברחובות
A teacher greets one of her students as their school in Rehovot reopens after the second lockdown (Photo: Reuters)

 

Children under the age of 16 will not be given the vaccine in the near future and are certain to increase contagion rates after the strict lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Schools therefore must finally prepare their classrooms for a long period of time when mitigation will still be needed, and learning will have to take place in small groups.

Ignoring the need for those steps to be taken may see parents pleased to send their kids back to school, but will also cause a resurgence of the disease and a reversal of achievements that may have resulted from the lockdown.

As reported by Ynetnews