There is no doubt that after a challenging year, we are desperate to go out and celebrate Purim with our friends. However, what we need right now is a bit more patience, with the end of the pandemic so close within sight.
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The number of critically ill coronavirus patients is finally decreasing, and so is the number of new cases, especially among the vaccinated. We are on the right path, but if we are not careful, Purim might mark the end to the optimistic and hard-earned progress we have been observing lately.
Israelis crave celebrations after such a draining year, but the Purim parties might cause another tragedy. If unvaccinated young adults go out to party in large crowds and enclosed spaces, we will once again see a spike in morbidity. Young unvaccinated Israelis celebrating in large crowds on Purim is a disaster in the making.
When we look closer at the vaccination statistics based on age, we understand why these celebrations pose such great danger. According to Health Ministry data, 92% of Israelis over the age of 70 have received the first dose of the vaccine and 84% of them have received both inoculations. This part of the population could theoretically go out and celebrate, as the chances of them getting infected with COVID are slim. But it is not the elderly who crave to go out and celebrate. It's the young people.
Among Israelis ages 20-40, 60% have received the first dose of the vaccine, and only 28% have received both. It takes five weeks after the first vaccine and two weeks after receiving the second jab to develop immunity to COVID. Those of us who have received our vaccinations in recent weeks are not out of the woods just yet.
No doubt young Israelis going out to celebrate Purim will cause an outbreak and a spike in morbidity rates. Young people think they have nothing to worry about, but they are, in fact, unprotected from the virus. True, COVID targets the elderly more than the young, but the risk is there nevertheless. With the arrival of the British mutation to Israel, that risk might be even higher.
Every day we hear of young people dying of COVID. The aim of the news is not to instill fear in adults, as some might think. The news reports the current situation.
A rise in the infection and morbidity rates will leave the government and the Health Ministry no choice but to force students to stay at home instead of returning to school and delay the reopening of business and cultural venues.
None of us wants to return to yet another lockdown. So please, avoid the parties this year so that when Passover arrives, we will be able to celebrate it freely with family and friends. There are other ways to celebrate that do not require gathering into large crowds. Be creative! Gather in small groups and open spaces. That is the best way to spend time together!
Purim marks a turning point. If we manage not to cause another outbreak of infections, the morbidity rate will continue to go down, and life might finally get back to normal: business will resume, and children will go back to school.
Returning to school marks another danger for increased infections. Children cannot yet get vaccinated. If they contract the virus, they will bring it home and infect the parents if they haven't been vaccinated, either.
To break this cycle, adults have to get vaccinated. One weekend with no celebrations is worth the effort if the reward is going back to normalcy and the life we miss so dearly.
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