Vaccination Rate 60% Israel "No Lockdown Needed Despite Delta Variant"

"Variant Infections Surge but Hospital Wards Remain Empty"

Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Israel, which has achieved a vaccination rate close to herd immunity, has decided not to impose lockdown measures against the Delta variant. Although variant infections are surging, the number of severe COVID-19 patients is not increasing, as hospital wards remain empty.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 29th (local time) that "Israeli government officials agreed on the 27th that no other quarantine measures such as lockdowns are necessary except for indoor mask-wearing."

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, "Last week, the Delta variant infected vaccinated individuals, causing an increase in confirmed cases, but the number of hospitalized patients has not risen."

Until early this month, Israel had either no new confirmed cases or only single-digit numbers, but the average daily new confirmed cases over the past seven days surged nearly tenfold to 146, compared to 15 on the 14th.

The Israeli government stated that its current focus is on further increasing the vaccination rate and strengthening quarantine measures for arrivals from countries with a high risk of COVID-19 infection.

Prime Minister Bennett emphasized, "We aim to protect Israeli citizens to the maximum extent while minimizing damage to daily life and the economy," adding, "Masks instead of restrictions, vaccines instead of lockdowns."

He also released an "open letter to young people," urging them to get vaccinated quickly before the expiration of remaining vaccine doses, saying, "Raising the vaccination rate among the younger generation is key."

Israel, which expanded the vaccination age to 12 and older, currently has about 62% of its population having received at least one vaccine dose, and 59% have completed two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Israeli public health experts said that due to the high vaccination rate, the recent spread of the variant virus shows a different pattern compared to previous COVID-19 outbreaks.

Yoram Weiss, director of the Jerusalem Hadassah University Medical Center, explained, "Despite the increase in Delta variant cases, COVID-19 hospital wards remain empty," adding, "We must still remain vigilant, but we are confronting the virus under different circumstances than before."

WP analyzed that "Israel, which vaccinated its population faster than any other country in the world, has become the first nation to gauge how the battle between vaccines and variants will unfold."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.