Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited a vaccination center at a high school in Tayibe on Thursday to see close-up how the country's vaccination campaign was progressing in the Arab sector.
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Speaking at the facility, Bennett said, "I came to Tayibe this morning because I care about your lives, your health, and I'm worried about the lives of your parents, your grandparents, who are in danger.
"COVID doesn't distinguish between religious or faith. It's a virus that moves from person to person, and I chose to come and talk to the Arab sector because at the moment, the Arab sector is the least vaccination. I want your lives to be as well protected as the lives of my mom and my children. You deserve the same protection, but this time, it's up to you," Bennett said.
The prime minister said he wanted to combat fake news reports. "The Delta strain is much more contagious than the original COVID virus. When we find a confirmed Delta carrier he has a viral load 1,000 times as high. So every confirmed carrier spreads a lot more virus and infects five times as many people," Bennett explained.
The prime minister explained that while the vaccines are highly effective, their efficacy wore down with time, so "Just like we charge our phones or put gas in the car, we need to 'top up' the body's defense. So the third dose is critical. Most of the fatalities, the vast majority, were not properly vaccinated."
Bennett said that 105 Israelis had died of COVID-19 this week alone, and 103 had not been vaccinated.
"There is fake news about side effects – there are nearly no side effects, or very minor ones. People die of COVID, not from side effects of the wonderful vaccines," the prime minister said.
Bennett urged leaders in Arab society to promote vaccinations, including booster shots.
On Thursday morning, the Health Ministry reported that 150,445 tests processed in the latest 24-hour period had resulted in 7,856 confirmed new cases, a 5.5% positive rate.
The number of active or symptomatic carriers in Israel stood at 61,163, with 994 COVID patients hospitalized, of whom 603 were listed in serious condition and 106 were on ventilators.
The virus reproduction rate stood at 1.23.
Since the pandemic hit Israel in early 2020, 6,726 Israelis have died of the virus.
Meanwhile, senior healthcare officials expect that by Thursday evening, the government will approve COVID booster shots for Israelis age 40 and over, and possibly next week to approve expanding the booster campaign to include people age 30 and up.
The officials expect that in September, booster shots will be approved for all ages.
On Thursday evening, a panel of experts advising the Health Ministry in the coronavirus crisis is expected to convene. The panel includes some 90 doctors, including some who are members of the vaccine advisory board.
One senior forum member told Israel Hayom that "Most senior officials in the Health Ministry are in favor of approving booster shots for people age 40 and over already, and the Corona cabinet, the cabinet, and the prime minister are also pushing for it.
"After that, it looks like it will only be a matter of time, a week or so, until the booster is approved for people age 30 and over," the official said.
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Meanwhile, Maccabi Health Services, which has been tracking the efficacy of the third doses of the COVID vaccine, reports that the booster has been found to be 86% effective in preventing recipients from contracting the virus, starting seven days after the booster is administered.
Maccabi compared over 149,000 patients age 60 and over who received booster shots a week or more previously to 675,630 patients who had only received the original two doses in January and February 2021. The study accounted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity.
The study found that of the 149,144 recipients of the booster shot, only 37 contracted the virus, whereas in the larger control group – who had received the second dose of the vaccine five months ago or more, 1,064 patients were confirmed carriers.
Dr. Anat Ekka Zohar, head of Maccbi's Quality, Research, and Digital Health Division, said, "The third vaccination is highly effective, both against infection and against the development of serious cases. I call on every age 50 and over who hasn't gotten a booster shot to come and get vaccinated in order to protect your loves ones. The vaccine has proved itself to be effective against the Delta strain, as well, and is a solution to stopping a widespread outbreak."
