We are facing a new wave of coronavirus. The spread of the Omicron variant in Israel and the world is worrying, and demands that the public adapt its behavior and make the appropriate preparations. It's already clear that the new variant is more contagious and spreading faster.
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In a number of other countries, Omicron is spreading at a dizzying rate, effectively supplanting the Delta variant. Although the contagious nature of the new variant is already established, it's too early to predict the numbers. We can hope for the best, but should prepare for the worst. The rate of reproduction (R) in Israel continues to rise, and most of the new cases are still the Delta strain.
The decision to close Israel's skies to travelers from countries designated "red" and to non-Israeli citizens was a rapid step taken after the lesson learned from the slow, passive response to the arrival of the Delta variant in Israel back in April. This step bought us time that we should take advantage of, first and foremost to step up the rate of vaccination. The vaccine is safe and effective, and there is enough information about it from Israel and elsewhere in the world. The vaccine should be administered in a manner that offers the maximum flexibility and meets' recipients' needs.
In my opinion, we should have started vaccinating children in schools long ago, and not only through the use of mobile vaccination units. Israel has been administering vaccines at schools since the state was founded, and now we see the heavy consequences of the privatization of health services for public school students, which has been notable since the coronavirus pandemic first hit Israel and before we had vaccines. Schools are one of the most important sites at which to promote public health, with attention to the physical, mental, and social aspects of it.
It's important to emphasize that even if the vaccines proves somewhat less effective against the Omicron variant, they are still of crucial importance. To the best of our knowledge, everyone who has been vaccinated as recommended (including a booster shot if the second dose was received five months ago or more), is protected for developing a serious case of COVID-19 that would require hospitalization or could even be fatal.
But now it's time not only for vaccines, but also to strengthen the exhausted public healthcare system. COVID is taking its toll, and we must allocated the resources and personnel that were promised to both hospitals and community clinics. We must make healthcare a top national priority and realize that there's a lot we can do to combat COVID.
It's important to remember that to protect the public's health, we must build resilience and trust, encourage vaccination, strengthen the healthcare system, and uphold responsible behavior as individuals, communities, and as a country. Even in challenging times, we need to stay calm and act precisely and proportionately, while continuing our normal routines as much as possible.
In the complicated time in which we are living, there's no point in strong-arm moved that are either ineffective or unfeasible. The way to promote responsible public health conduct and public compliance with government recommendations is through consistency, a clear strategy, and the government cooperating with the public.
We're all tired of COVID, but it's staying with us and we have plenty of tools to handle it. We have to do so wisely – this is a marathon, not a sprint, and it demands partnership and solidarity.
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