Israel’s public health chief says evidence points to decreased COVID vaccine immunity – Israel News

WASHINGTON – Dr Sharon Alroy-Preis, director of Israel’s public health services, said on Sunday that evidence points to decreased immunity from the COVID-19 vaccine, saying his two biggest concerns about the delta variant relate to its level of infectivity and the increased rate of vaccinated people who test positive.

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“It’s 50% more contagious than the previous variant, which was 50% more contagious than the original,” Alroy-Preis told CBS’s Face the Nation, noting that a third of Israel’s population has not. been covered, especially the large population of Israel. unvaccinated children.

She added that 50 percent of current infections are from vaccinated individuals. “We used to think that fully vaccinated individuals were protected, but now we see the vaccine’s effectiveness is around 40 percent.” She noted that while the efficacy remains high for serious illnesses, Israel is seeing its protection diminish, especially for those who have been vaccinated for a longer time.

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She said the debate between whether infections are related to the timing of vaccine administration and whether the vaccine offers robust protection is “the million dollar question,” although the evidence over the years. recent weeks show that there is, in fact, a decrease in immunity.

“We are comparing people – both over the age of 60 but also between 16 and 59 – who were immunized early and fully vaccinated at the end of January. We see infection rates among them of 90 per 100,000, or double those who are fully vaccinated by March, “she said, adding that” we are seeing a decline in the effectiveness of the vaccine against the disease for those who were vaccinated early, and we are seeing it in both for people over the age of 60 but also for the youngest. ”

She explained that Israel’s decision to make a booster available is based on evidence of the difference between infection rates in those who were vaccinated early and those who were vaccinated later, but also on the evidence. an increase in hospitalizations for serious and critical cases among those aged 60 and over. fully immune population.

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“That, added to the fact that we see a lack of response to the vaccine over time, has led us to suggest and allow people to get the vaccine for the third time. It’s not just that we’re seeing more of diseases, but that they enter into severe and critical conditions, ”she said.

Alroy-Preis said Israel was trying to reintroduce the “green pass” – meaning people could participate in events with certificates showing they have been vaccinated or recovered – or be tested based on results that the majority of people vaccinated do not spread.

“We know that vaccinated individuals can infect others and we know that they can be infected; they represent 50% of confirmed cases on a daily basis. The question is whether they can infect others,” she said. Explain.

“We saw that 80 percent of those vaccinated who became confirmed cases themselves had no contact with confirmed cases, while 10 percent had contact with confirmed cases,” she said. , adding that “their ability to infect others is 50 percent less than those who are unvaccinated.”

She noted that although there is spread among household contacts, the risk of confirmed cases of vaccinated individuals infecting others is around 10 percent while the risk of infecting more than one individual is lower. at 10 percent.