‘Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat’: exploring Israel’s fourth Covid wave
Two months ago, face masks were consigned to bins. Now the country is in a ‘unique moment of epidemiological doubt’
Two months ago, Israel was basking in the success of one of the world’s fastest vaccine roll-outs. Masks were consigned to bins, and Covid restrictions looked like a thing of the past. No longer, said Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz (Tel Aviv). Today, the country is in a “unique moment of epidemiological doubt”.
Fuelled by the spread of the Delta variant, new Covid cases have reached their highest levels in six months. And, despite 78% of adults having been double jabbed (about the same as in the UK), hospitalisations, serious illnesses and deaths have been “rising for the past seven weeks” – and are forecast to continue doing so for weeks to come.
Worryingly, 90% of new infections are in largely vaccinated over-50s, and nearly 60% of “gravely ill” patients are fully jabbed, said Meredith Wadman in Science (Washington). The situation is now being scrutinised around the world. And the lesson is clear: “Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat” the Delta variant.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So what’s behind this “stunning reversal” in Israel’s fortunes, asked Isabel Kershner in The New York Times. Some experts reckon high infection rates among early recipients point to “a waning of the vaccine’s protections” six to eight months after second jabs. The first cohort to be jabbed were also mainly older, with weaker immune systems to begin with. And Israel relied heavily on Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, with a three-week gap between jabs; it remains to be seen whether immunity from other vaccines, such as Moderna’s or AstraZeneca’s, proves longer lasting.
Covid’s resurgence has led to tough questions for Naftali Bennett, said Maayan JaffeHoffman in The Jerusalem Post. Israel’s new PM was once so confident in his abilities that he wrote a book called How to Beat Covid-19. Yet two months after coming to power, he has been accused of being too slow to react to rising cases; restrictions on large gatherings, for instance, were only reinstated last week.
Israel is trying to quell its fourth wave by offering third jabs to over 40s, said Nature (London). More than a million out of 9.3 million Israelis have had a booster; other countries – including the UK, US and Germany – also plan to give third doses to at-risk groups. They shouldn’t. While 58% of people in the world’s high-income countries have had at least one dose, that figure is just 1.3% in poor nations. The priority for rich nations shouldn’t be giving booster jabs; it should be “getting the world vaccinated”. Until that happens, we’re all at risk from dangerous new variants that could knock the Covid recovery off course.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Christmas quiz 2024
From the magazine Test your grasp of current affairs and general knowledge with our quiz
By The Week UK Published
-
People of the year 2024
In the Spotlight Remember the people who hit the headlines this year?
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 25, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Marty Makary: the medical contrarian who will lead the FDA
In the Spotlight What Johns Hopkins surgeon and commentator Marty Makary will bring to the FDA
By David Faris Published
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
New Alzheimer's drug rejected: is Nice being nasty?
Talking Point Health watchdog has announced lecanemab will be denied to NHS patients on cost grounds
By The Week UK Published
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soon
Speed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mpox: how dangerous is new health emergency?
Today's Big Question Spread of potentially deadly sub-variant more like early days of HIV than Covid, say scientists
By The Week UK Published
-
What is POTS and why is it more common now?
The explainer The condition affecting young women
By Devika Rao, The Week US Last updated
-
Brexit, Matt Hancock and black swans: five takeaways from Covid inquiry report
The Explainer UK was 'unprepared' for pandemic and government 'failed' citizens with flawed response, says damning report
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The great baby bust
The Explainer The fertility rate is falling sharply in the UK and across the world, a trend with major economic and societal consequences
By The Week UK Published