The encouraging results of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's research, which found its coronavirus vaccine to be effective and safe for use in teens, are not surprising and necessarily give our children and grandchildren something to be optimistic about. It's clear to us that the younger the individual, the more effective the coronavirus vaccine will be, and that's why it's no surprise it has proven to be up to 100% effective at preventing the virus among teens.
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While we would have expected to see more side effects in this age group, they were in fact very minimal. There were prior indications of this in Israel, as we have already vaccinated some 700 high-risk teens, none of whom reported abnormal reactions to the vaccine. Of course, we have yet to see the scientific data, and my remarks are based solely on Pfizer's media announcement.
We can carefully assume that once the Health Ministry discusses the issue and the American Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccine, we will be able to vaccinate teens aged 12 to 15 within a matter of weeks.
At the same time, we must do more to explain the importance of vaccination for teens. This is of the utmost experience because while members of this age group are is less likely to become seriously ill from the disease, as we have seen over the past year, they are capable of infecting others on a large scale. As for data on the vaccination of those aged 12 and under, research is ongoing, and it doesn't look like there will be a vaccination for this age group by the end of the year.
With over 57% of Israel's population inoculated, we can say adults in Israel have largely met the vaccination challenge. We should nevertheless aspire to vaccination of 80% of the population, regardless of the question of herd immunity, which is dependent on the reproduction rate of the virus, so that we are better off should another variant cross our borders. This is also where the importance of testing at the borders and preventing the entry of more dangerous virus mutations, such as the Brazilian variant, into Israel comes in. The more time goes by, the more we see the excellent position Israel is in compared to other countries around the world that are finding it difficult to procure available vaccines on a mass scale.
In my opinion, the time has come to fully reopen the education system. There is no reason to wait any longer. Of course, this should be done according to social-distancing and mask-wearing guidelines and with the rapid testing of teaching staff.
As for mask-wearing guidelines, it's true that they are not really necessary when outside, even among crowds of people. Yet I believe the requirement should remain in place. If Israelis are no longer required to wear masks outdoors, how disciplined will they be when they head indoors?
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