Prime Minister Bennett: The Health ministry approved a 4th vaccine for all aged 60 and up

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened a press conference on Sunday evening following the wide spread of the Omicron strain across the country - and announced that the Ministry of Health has approved a fourth vaccine for all those aged 60 and up.
"The wave of omicrons is here, and I want to give the citizens of Israel as complete a picture as possible," Bennett said at the beginning of the statement, which, for the first time since the increase in morbidity, was conditional on a rapid corona examination. "It is different from previous varieties and behaves differently, and this requires us to adapt everything we knew about the corona. We prepared for Omicron before everyone else, and five weeks ago we closed Israel to foreigners. It delayed the breed's entry into Israel, and we bought precious time and used it well."
Bennett explained that "we have purchased medicines, Pfizer's medicine is in great demand in the world and the competition for it is tough. The medicine is very effective and will help people at risk to get through the disease safely. In the community so as not to burden the hospitals and we took care of the stock of vaccines for children. "
Bennett has announced the provision of a fourth vaccine to adults over the age of 60 and to the medical staff who received the booster more than four months ago. "The decision was made based on the best professional considerations and after the Ministry of Health consulted with experts," the prime minister said. Mortality in Israel is among the lowest in the world, and to put it bluntly, mortality in Britain is 50 times greater, in Germany 100 times higher and in the United States 130 times higher than in the State of Israel - but we must not be complacent, so I call on everyone entitled to a fourth dose to go and get vaccinated. .
The Prime Minister noted that “we have seen countries like the Netherlands, which because they did not have the time, had to go into full or partial closure, and we have seen other countries like France or the UK, which are facing a record number of child hospitalizations. The overarching goal remains to enable a functioning economy in Israel, while protecting the most vulnerable. "
He estimated that by the end of the week the daily number of verified people will cross the 20,000 mark, and that at the height of the wave, the numbers will also reach 50,000 a day. "These are very large numbers, but the good news we have learned from the world is that if you are vaccinated as required, you are largely protected from a serious illness even if you become infected," Bennett said, stressing that future restrictions will be based solely on rising patients.
In light of the huge queues in various complexes across the country, the government has decided to exempt all vaccinated people over the age of 5 from isolation, and Bennett said he understands the sense of frustration and confusion, but the government is doing everything it can to prepare for the new situation. "Those who have not been vaccinated - will be vaccinated. Those who have not received a booster - will receive, it is not too late. Those who have not been vaccinated - take them vaccinated. Children take time to build a protective layer. Be very careful about masks, it can make all the difference ".
He said the government is preparing to change the threshold conditions for tests to quickly reduce the load. "Israel is one of the countries that tests the most in the world. We have been instructed to intensify institutional antigen testing - and there are 146 antigen stations in the country. It is clear that this will not be enough, because there is no country in the world that has enough tests in relation to contacts. The criteria will be tailored to people with more symptoms and citizens at risk. "
He reiterated that "we could choose a strategy that other countries have chosen and that is to make a closure, so that the whole country will be closed for a month. This is what happened last year with huge damages. We could alternatively 'flow' and do nothing and then get very high morbidity," he said: "We choose to take responsibility and make decisions, even if they are difficult, according to developments - and I can not say that there will be no more developments. It will reduce the pressure. " However, the prime minister said that "a great many children have not been vaccinated in the last month and a half as we have asked many times, and we will see distance learning on a considerable scale."