Amid global uncertainty, with Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel expressing doubts about whether his company's vaccine is effective against the Omicron variant, and head of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss expressing concerns in the Knesset that the virus could mutate and spread, Professor Eli Sprecher from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the expert behind the models that predict Israel's number of serious COVID cases, is sticking to the easier line he has espoused since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020.
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Sprecher has been tracking the low number of confirmed cases currently in Israel, and sees no reason for panic.
"The decision to stop incoming tourism for two week was reasonable," he tells Israel Hayom.
"I'm doubtful it matters, because there's no way of keeping variants out of Israel, especially when they're really contagious. The decision might delay things a bit. There's no difference between a tourist from another country who arrives in Israel and an Israeli resident who returns from a vacation in that country, other than the assumption that Israelis have to come home," he says.
"I would make sure to keep careful tabs on people who arrive from abroad and after the period of self-isolation, and bring [the option of] electronic tracking bracelets back to the table. At this time, I would invest in a vaccination campaign, because they provide the best protection against Omicron. I don't remember when we had such an effective and safe vaccine. I don't understand how when offered a gift like this, which comes from science, there are people who refuse it."
Q: Can you understand parents who are afraid to vaccinate their children?
"Definitely. I don't dismiss them or judge them. It's our responsibility as doctors and as a healthcare system to explain, and convince them to."
Q: If you had a five-year-old, would you vaccinate them?
"Obviously. I'd be standing in line the first day."
Sprecher touches on the wild incitement against doctors who take a stance in support of vaccines.
"The fact that Sharon Elroi Preiss is forced to have a security detail is terrible, in my opinion. Since COVID, we've seen the social discourse become radicalized, and medicine is at the center of that discourse. Israel is not a violence-free country, but I've never seen such a base outburst of it toward doctors."
Q: Do you think Omicron will affect us in Israel?
"I can't say it won't. It's impossible to say that it won't influence the number of cases, but there are currently no data that allow me to say otherwise. It was clear variants would arrive, and this won't be the last. Israel is in good shape right now, but also vulnerable, because of a critical mass of people who aren't vaccinated."
Q: Are we facing a fifth wave?
"We aren't facing a fifth wave, and we won't be two weeks from now, either. What will happen after that, I can't say."
Q: So how long will COVID last?
"A few years, I think. A wild guess – less than 10 years."
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