Economy 25 June 2021, 11:24am

Half of new COVID cases in Israel have been vaccinated

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About half of new COVID-19 cases in Israel have been previously vaccinated. This surprising figure could be another sign that vaccines are less efficient against the Delta (Indian) variant of the coronavirus. There is still a lot of uncertainty in data, however, and there is also good news: those vaccinated have less severe symptoms, which means the vaccine does offer significant protection from the disease.

Some 40% to 50% of new cases come from people previously vaccinated, Chezy Levy, director general of Israel’s health ministry, told the press. The announcement appears to confirm fears that the Delta variant could be able to spread even in communities with a high vaccination coverage. The main risk in this is that the virus can therefore find its way to the unprotected despite herd immunity. However, the phenomenon requires further examinations as the announcement has not revealed a number of important factors.

The figure is presumably an early estimate as the health ministry’s inquiry is still ongoing.
It is unclear if the vaccinated people now infected had been fully immunised.
It appears that those infected after vaccination display milder symptoms, so the vaccine likely still offers protection from severe symptoms.

The Delta variant accounts for some 70% of new cases in Israel. It should be noted, however, that the pandemic is currently very low-key in the country and there is room for loosening measures. Israel abandoned the mandatory wearing of masks last week.

Meanwhile, daily new cases jumped from around 20 in the past three weeks to more than 200 yesterday so the virus is spreading faster.