israel boasts one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 57 percent of the population fully vaccinated, and 61 percent receiving at least one dose of the two vaccines approved in the country, made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Some 40 to 50 percent of people who have been infected amid Israel's recent coronavirus surge were vaccinated against the virus, Israeli Health Ministry Director Chezy Levy has said.
The official added that vaccinated people who have come into contact with the Delta variant – the highly contagious but milder mutation of Covid first identified in India in April – will need to be quarantined. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Delta variant is now the dominant strain of the virus worldwide.
Commenting on the estimates of infection among those vaccinated, Pfizer israel Medical Director Alon Rappaport told Army Radio that Pfizer's vaccine has proven to be 90 percent effective in preventing symptomatic Delta variant cases, and 95 percent effective in stopping severe cases requiring hospitalisation.
Israeli health authorities have taken proactive actions against the Delta strain, reintroducing an indoor mask mandate on Sunday, less than two weeks after indoor mask requirements were lifted. The mandate applies to everyone, including fully vaccinated persons. The Health Ministry has also encouraged people to wear masks even at outdoor mass events, and has…
