For the first time, an Israeli who had recovered from the coronavirus was found on Sunday again infected with the so-called South African strain, the Hebrew media reported.
The diagnosis came amid continuing uncertainty about the effectiveness of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine that Israel is using in its mass inoculation program against new strains of the virus.
Ziv Yaffe, 57, from the central region of the country, recently returned from Turkey. In an interview with Channel 12, he said that while during his first infection in August he had “all symptoms”, the second time he felt good.
Get the daily edition of The Times of Israel by email and never miss our top news.
Yaffe returned to Israel on 16 January. On January 23, he had a runny nose and decided to have a virus test, as he was participating in follow-up research at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center. The test showed that he was infected again and other tests revealed that he had contracted the South African mutation.
Shai Efrati, head of research and development at the medical center, told the station that Yaffe’s case was unique because doctors had a complete medical record of his attacks with the virus.
“It is the first time that we have a complete record of infection, recovery, reinfection and the antibodies that he protected from the mutation,” said Efrati.
“What we learned is that when there are antibodies, they protect against disease,” he said.
Screen capture of the video by Ziv Yaffe, on the left, who was again infected with the coronavirus, and Shai Efrati from Assaf Harofeh Medical Center. (News from channel 12)
Efrati warned that it is too early to conclude that anyone who has had the disease is also protected from other mutations, saying that more similar cases would be needed before such conclusions could be drawn.
But, he added, Yaffe’s case is “very encouraging.”
Yaffe said that in addition to not feeling bad, family members and others were in close contact with him during the period of his second infection, but none of them contracted the virus.
His case is the second time that the South African variant has been brought from Turkey to Israel, according to the Ynet website.
Health officials are concerned that the South African mutation, similar to the British and Californian strains that are considered most infectious, could lead to another wave of the virus among those who have recovered from a previous infection and are not being vaccinated as part of the campaign. immunization.
All previous patients with the South African mutation, first discovered in South Africa in December, were people who returned to South Africa, Ethiopia or Dubai, according to the report.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, acting head of the ministry’s public health division, speaks to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on January 6, 2021. (Screenshot: YouTube)
On Saturday, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health services at the Ministry of Health, told public broadcaster Kan that there were preliminary indications that coronavirus vaccines may be less effective in protecting against the South African variant. .
“We still have no evidence that any of the variants is completely resistant to the vaccine, but there is some preliminary evidence to say that perhaps the vaccine’s effectiveness is slightly less against the South African variant,” said Alroy-Preis.
She said tests are still underway to clarify the matter.
Pfizer and BioNTech, whose vaccine is being used in Israel’s world-leading vaccination campaign, said on Thursday that early tests suggest that their immunization would be protective against South Africa and Britain variants.
The study found that the antibodies were able to neutralize all the sets of mutations tested. He noted that the effect was “slightly less” against three mutations in the variant found in South Africa, including E484K. But the companies said it was “unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness”.
The Ministry of Health confirmed last week that three more cases of the South African coronavirus variant were found in Israel, bringing the total number of infections of the strain to 30. Three of the cases were discovered in a random sample, raising concerns of non detected spread.
Meanwhile, the British variant is spreading wildly in Israel, with health officials blaming the high number of coronavirus cases after weeks of blocking the mutation in the UK. Daily infections continue by the thousands, despite Israel’s strict restrictions and vaccination campaign.
A man receives an injection of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Jerusalem on January 28, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
More than 3 million Israelis – almost a third of its population – received the first dose of the vaccine and 1.7 million received both vaccines. Vaccines are being administered according to a plan that started with medical workers, those over 60 and at-risk groups, with the age limit falling steadily as more citizens complete the two-dose vaccination cycle.
In an effort to keep variants of the virus out of the country, Israel has closed its main international airport, including for its own citizens. The order is set to expire on Sunday, but will likely be extended.
The government hopes on Sunday to extend the national blockade for another week to reduce infection rates.
Since the outbreak of the virus at the beginning of last year, 641,373 people in Israel have been diagnosed with the virus, according to data from the Ministry of Health released on Sunday. The death toll stood at 4,768.
The agencies contributed to this report.
