Where do we go from here? Our situation is misleading. Although significantly lower than previous highs, at a few thousand a day, the number of new infections remains high. The reproduction rate is nearing 1, although it has declined in recent days. Although lower than the 1,200 seriously ill cases we saw at the height of the outbreak, around 700 people are seriously ill in Israel, with a few dozen such cases being added to the list daily. The infection rate, which was once above 10%, is now hovering around 4%.
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The pandemic is obviously changing its behavior. The most important factor right now is the number of people getting vaccinated. Three months after Israel kicked off its vaccination campaign, over half of Israel's population has received at least one dose of Pfizer's vaccine. Many more continue to get the jab.
The implementation of the green-pass program for those who have either recovered from the virus or received both doses of the vaccine, together with high vaccination rates among high-risk Israelis, has allowed us to take certain risks. In public health, risk management means we need to manage the risks in a way that is infinitely better than having the risks manage us. Indeed, the high vaccination rate, a badge of honor for the Israeli healthcare system and the Israeli public in general, has allowed us to arrive at this "new normal" we have heard so much about, only this time in a safer manner.
The data now shows us that despite the poor conduct by many Israelis over the Purim holiday, the outbreak is relatively stable. While new daily infections are relatively high, the average age of those infected has changed dramatically since the start of the pandemic, which has afforded us this change in conduct. Yet we mustn't rest on our laurels. We must continue to vaccinate. Around 250,000 Israelis aged 50 and over and around 750,000 Israelis between the ages of 16 and 50 have yet to get the jab.
The vaccination rate among Arab Israelis is now at far more satisfactory levels, and we should give credit where credit is due: the Health Ministry, the healthcare providers, Magen David Adom, and no less importantly, local authorities and civil society. Nevertheless, the freeze on the transfer of data on the unvaccinated from healthcare providers to local authorities is a welcome move. Like workplaces, local authorities can encourage vaccination, but we mustn't head down the kind of slippery slope that will harm public trust; In this case, the ends do not just justify the means.
The vaccines, however, won't solve everything. We must expand the "Education Shield" program for routine coronavirus testing in schools across Israel and we must make use of the rapid tests finally authorized for use by the Health Ministry. Government authorities should decentralize the management of rapid testing and make such tests available at reasonable and regulated prices. There must be accountability, and despite the wonderful sense of a return to our normal lives, we must not congregate and whatever can be done outside should be so that it poses less risk to our health.
We must continue to wear masks and contemplate whether we need them when we are outside and among the fully vaccinated. We must examine quarantine policies in as differential a manner as possible. We must not enter a fourth lockdown, which would be catastrophic and harm public trust. We have all the tools available to avoid it and to safely celebrate the upcoming Passover holiday as long as we adhere to coronavirus guidelines. It's up to the government bodies, but it's also up to the various communities across Israel. Once again, we call on you to get vaccinated. Vaccination is an act of solidarity, and it saves lives.
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