A military-led task force warned of the potential emergence of a mutant Israeli vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant.
In a report to the National Coronavirus Information and Knowledge Center on Saturday, Military Intelligence recommended that, due to fears about the possible development of an Israeli strain, those who received vaccines or recovered from COVID-19 should be tested for the coronavirus and are subject to quarantine requirements upon entering the country.
“The mass vaccination campaign taking place in parallel with the active outbreak in Israel can lead to ‘evolutionary pressure’ on the virus,” said the report.
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Nearly 2.5 million Israelis received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and more than 946,000 received both vaccines. Israel has set a goal to vaccinate its entire eligible adult population by March.
A medical worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine at a Clalit vaccination center in Jerusalem on January 21, 2021. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
According to two preliminary studies released last Wednesday, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine appears to be effective against the new, more infectious coronavirus variant that was first detected in Britain and has since been found in dozens of countries. The strain, known as B.1.1.7, has caused alarm among experts because of its greater ability to spread and overwhelm virus outbreaks.
But it is more of a mutation, known as E484K and present in variants detected in South Africa and Brazil, but not in Britain, which has specialists particularly concerned with the “escape” of immunity.
The task force’s report came as the British variant spread across Israel, with experts predicting it could become the dominant strain in weeks. Israel has also seen more than 20 cases of the South African variant and is carefully monitoring the Brazilian strain, amid fears that one of the mutations will escape vaccine protections.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday that several cases of the British coronavirus variant were discovered among pregnant women hospitalized in serious condition with complications from COVID-19.
The ministry said it had collected samples from 10 pregnant women and that of the seven samples they have completed the sequencing so far, six presented the British strain.
“In light of the recent morbidity findings, pregnant women will be given preference to receive vaccines. Any pregnant woman who is interested can be vaccinated ”, said the ministry in a note.
In an effort to prevent strains from being imported into Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek government approval on Sunday for his proposal to suspend all passenger flights to and from Israel for two weeks.
A technician collects nasal smear samples for COVID-19 at the coronavirus laboratory at Ben-Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, on December 14, 2020. (Yossi Aloni / Flash90)
Netanyahu had a meeting on Saturday night with officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, National Security Council and Civil Aviation Authority, where an initial agreement was reached to essentially halt nearly all flights “to prevent Israel from entering additional coronavirus mutations, ”According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The agreement, subject to cabinet approval, includes a ban on all incoming and outgoing flights, restricting arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport and formulating a separate plan to allow special flights for humanitarian purposes.
People who need to travel may be allowed to do so “in exceptional circumstances” that would require the approval of a commission headed by the directors-general of the ministries of health and transport, according to the PMO announcement.
The proposal will be submitted for cabinet approval on Sunday.
The statement said the restrictions will take effect as soon as they are approved by the government, although it is not immediately clear whether a majority of ministers will support them.
The travel ban should apply to everyone, even those who are fully vaccinated, according to an earlier report on Channel 12 news on Saturday. Some Ministry of Health officials are suggesting that the airport will only reopen fully when at least 5 million Israelis have been vaccinated, according to the report, a scenario that can be achieved in early March.
The agencies contributed to this report.