By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – Four months after one of the worst COVID-19 epidemics in its history, Israel has seen a dramatic drop in severe illnesses and new infections. This is due to its increased use of vaccine passports, booster vaccines, and mandated masks. Scientists and officials from Israel’s health ministry said that this was due to its continued use of vaccines.

    Israel was struck by its fourth coronavirus wave in June, fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant.

The government chose to not impose new restrictions but instead bet on an additional booster dose. Pfizer (NYSE:) Inc/BioNTech vaccine for people age 12 and up, mandated face coverings and enforced use of a “Green Pass” – proof of vaccination, recovery from the illness or a negative test for the virus – at restaurants and other venues, even for children.  

In Israel, the number of infections per day has fallen by more than 80 percent since peaking in September. Severe cases are almost half as common.

    “Day by day we are breaking the Delta wave,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday, crediting government policy for “close, smart and flexible management allowing life alongside coronavirus.”

    Israel’s “Living with COVID” strategy, which has not come without cost or controversy, has kept schools and the economy open.

The Israeli Health Ministry on Thursday presented the latest safety and effectiveness data https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-advisers-weigh-case-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots-2021-10-14 from its booster campaign to a panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considering authorization of additional booster shots.

These data indicate that infection rates among older people (those over 60) began to decline rapidly two weeks after the third dose, but were still rising in other groups.

Doron Gazit of Hebrew University’s COVID-19 Monitoring Team performed a data analysis that showed how the virus’ ability to reproduce – or spread – started dropping among all age groups after the third shot.

The Delta wave was two months old and more than half the severe COVID-19 cases were found to be among people older than 60. Most were older than 70 and had health problems that made them more at risk.

People are now more at risk of developing serious illnesses since the administration of boosters. Many of these people are younger and unvaccinated. These patients account for approximately 75% of those admitted to hospital in serious condition. Those who have had two or more shots are responsible for 25%.

According to the Health Ministry, a third dose of vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing severe breakthroughs among people aged 40 years and older.

For teens and young adults, there is not as much data. The ministry stated that its data so far has shown no increase in myocarditis (rare heart disease) among younger patients. (Graphic: Confirmed Daily Infections, https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/ISRAEL-BOOSTERS/znvnezznnpl/chart.png)

    ‘THE JURY IS STILL OUT’

Ran Balicer who is head of the government’s coronavirus expert panel advisory board said that the combination of several measures had stopped the Delta surge.

“These include the masks mandate, the ‘Green Passes’, the massive testing both with PCR testing and rapid antigen tests. Balicer indicated that mass vaccination campaigns with booster doses were the key factor to bringing down Delta summer surge.

England is a country where boosters were administered to approximately 5% of the population. However, the use of masks has largely stopped and vaccination passports are no longer mandatory. COVID-19 cases have also been increasing in England.

Some scientists said Israel’s decision in late August to approve a third vaccine dose for young adults and teens was premature, lacking clear evidence of a benefit. The focus must still be on getting unvaccinated individuals to consent.

A few European countries and the United States have not approved boosters. They are only authorized for elderly people, workers with weak immune systems or those at higher risk of being exposed to coronavirus.

While many nations struggle for vaccines, the World Health Organization has appealed to wealthier countries to delay boosters.

    “Israel rushed, even gambled, when it came to approving a third dose for the whole population and not to specific age groups as other countries did,” said Hagai Levine, professor of epidemiology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

“In the midst of a pandemic you sometimes have to make a decision based on partial evidence,” Levine said. Nevertheless, “the jury is still out on third doses for the entire population.” (Graphic: Coronavirus Fourth Wave, Reproduction Rate, https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/ISRAEL-BOOSTERS/xmpjollelvr/chart.png)

    Bennett has been criticized by some scientists for rejecting tougher measures that would have kept Delta infections lower from the start. These included officials from government health who believed that the policy of “Living With COVID” was too costly.

    “We have 1,400 people who died in this wave. There are some benefits to maintaining the economy open, but there’s also a cost,” Sharon Alroy Preis, Israel’s head of public healthcare, said Tuesday at The Jerusalem Post.

    By September, hospitals strained to care for COVID-19 cases that could have perhaps been avoided, doctors and health officials said.

    “It’s a good policy, but it has its price,” said Yael Haviv-Yadid, head of the critical care ward at Sheba Medical Centre, whose unit saw an influx of young, unvaccinated patients. The teams are tired and burned out. 

    So far, 3.7 million people have taken a third shot, more than a third of Israel’s population.   

    “Israel was the first country to deal with the combined challenge posed by the Delta variant and mass waning immunity, but it is definitely not the last” Balicer cautioned.

He added that “other countries who will be confronted with this complicated challenge will need to figure their own balance” and “the costs can be high.”