The worst of the coronavirus pandemic – deaths, hospitalizations and lockdowns – could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly, the head of emergencies at the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

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Dr. Michael Ryan, speaking during a panel discussion on vaccine inequity hosted by the World Economic Forum, said "we may never end the virus" because such pandemic viruses "end up becoming part of the ecosystem."

But "we have a chance to end the public health emergency this year if we do the things that we've been talking about," he said.

WHO has slammed the imbalance in COVID-19 vaccinations between rich and poor countries as a catastrophic moral failure. Fewer than 10% of people in lower-income countries have received even one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ryan told the virtual gathering of world and business leaders that if vaccines and other tools aren't shared fairly, the tragedy of the virus, which has so far killed more than 5.5 million people worldwide, would continue.

"What we need to do is get to low levels of disease incidence with maximum vaccination of our populations, so nobody has to die," Ryan said. "The issue is: It's the death. It's the hospitalizations. It's the disruption of our social, economic, political systems that's caused the tragedy – not the virus."

Ryan also waded into the growing debate about whether COVID-19 should be considered endemic, a label some countries like Spain have called for to better help live with the virus, or still a pandemic – involving intensified measures that many countries have taken to fight the spread.

"Endemic malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people; endemic HIV; endemic violence in our inner cities. Endemic in itself does not mean good. Endemic just means it's here forever," he said.

Public health officials have warned it is highly unlikely COVID-19 will be eliminated and say it will continue to kill people, though at much lower levels, even after it becomes endemic.

Fellow panelist Gabriela Bucher, executive director of the anti-poverty organization Oxfam International, cited the "enormous urgency" of fairer distribution of vaccines and the need for large-scale production. She said resources to fight the pandemic were being "hoarded by a few companies and a few shareholders."

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, decried the "total collapse of global cooperation and solidarity" over the last two years, saying it was "totally unacceptable" how few people in Africa have gotten vaccine shots. His agency says only 10% of Africa's 1.2 billion people are fully vaccinated.

He also sought to douse the belief among some that vaccine hesitancy is widespread in Africa, citing studies that say 80% of Africans were ready to get shots if the vaccines were available.

The comments came on the second day of the online alternative to the annual World Economic Forum gathering, which was postponed over pandemic health concerns.

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Novak Djokovic risks being frozen out of tennis as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam title, with rules on travelers who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 tightening in the third year of the pandemic and some tournaments reconsidering exemptions.

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The Serbian, who has not been vaccinated, was deported from Australia on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open after losing a court case to have the cancellation of his visa overturned.

Under Australian law, Djokovic cannot get another visa for three years – denying him the chance to add to his nine titles at Melbourne Park – but the government has left the door open for a possible return next year.

The world number one, however, faces more immediate hurdles in his bid to overtake Swiss Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafa Nadal, with whom he is tied on 20 major titles, as he could be barred from the French Open as things stand.

The French Sports Ministry said on Monday there would be no exemption from a new vaccine pass law approved on Sunday, which requires people to have vaccination certificates to enter public places such as restaurants, cafes and cinemas.

"This will apply to everyone who is a spectator or a professional sportsperson. And this until further notice," the ministry said.

"As far as Roland Garros is concerned, it's in May. The situation may change between now and then and we hope it'll be more favorable. So we'll see but clearly there's no exemption."

The ministry's stance was welcomed by Germany's world number three Alexander Zverev.

"At least it's clear what's going to happen," he told reporters after winning his opening match at Melbourne Park on Monday. "At least they're saying, 'OK, no unvaccinated players are allowed to play in the French Open.'

"We know that now in advance, and I can imagine there's not going to be any exemptions, and that's OK."

The next tournament on Djokovic's calendar is likely to be the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships from Feb. 21-26.

A spokesperson for the event told Reuters that all players would need to provide negative PCR tests before being allowed into the United Arab Emirates.

"(Players) will then need to adhere to the testing protocols and processes stipulated by the ATP and the WTA," the spokesperson added.

Organizers of the Monte Carlo Masters, which Djokovic has won twice, are awaiting French government guidelines for the next edition in April, while Wimbledon organizers AELTC are also yet to finalize safety arrangements for the major.

However, England's Lawn Tennis Association said entry requirements for its events, some of which serve as Wimbledon warm-ups, would be determined by the government.

Currently, unvaccinated people can enter England but must isolate for 10 days.

A US Open representative said last week that the year's final major would follow New York City Department of Health guidelines.

Djokovic could have trouble even getting into the United States, because foreign air travelers have had to be fully vaccinated since November and provide proof before boarding flights, with limited exceptions.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there are no exceptions for vaccine requirements "for religious reasons or other moral convictions."

That rule could also impact Djokovic's participation in US hardcourt tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami in March.

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The leader of the US-based anti-vaxxer group Vaccine Police is touting the ultimate do-it-yourself cure for COVID-19 and claiming that anyone who contracts the virus can cure themselves by drinking their own urine.

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According to a report on the Daily Beast, Christopher Key is an advocate of what he calls "urine therapy." Key has posted a video to his Telegram account in which he says that urine is an appropriate treatment for COVID, claiming: "The antidote that we have seen now, and we have tons and tons of research, is urine therapy. OK, and I know to a lot of you this sounds crazy, but guys, God's given us everything we need."

It should be noted that the accepted use of the term "antidote" is in reference to a medicine that counteracts a specific poison, not a virus.

Key has called vaccines a "crime against humanity" and a "biological weapon" and called for pharmacists who administer vaccines to be executed.

The body produces urine as a way of ridding itself of nitrogen-rich byproducts of the metabolic process, such as urea, uric acid, and creatinine. There is also no scientific evidence to date that indicates that ingesting urine can cure or prevent any illness.

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A Utah tech company founder and onetime prominent figure in state Republican politics resigned on Tuesday from the board of the company he started after sending an email outlining an antisemitic vaccination conspiracy theory.

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David Bateman, founder and board chair of the company Entrata, claimed the COVID-19 vaccine is part of a plot by "the Jews" to exterminate people, Fox13 reported.

The email attacks the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and urges people not to get it. It claims the pandemic and "systematic extermination of billions of people" will lead to an effort to "consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule."

The recipients included the owner of NBA's Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, GOP Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, a Democrat.

"These irresponsible comments are hurtfully antisemitic, blatantly false, and we completely reject them," Cox tweeted.

Bateman confirmed he sent the email in a text message to the news station. He said he had "nothing but love for the Jewish people" but he echoed the assertions in the email. The email contained his personal opinion and was intended for a few friends, he said.

He has retired as CEO of Entrata, a property management software company, but had remained chair of the company's board. Bateman had also been a prominent figure in Utah Republican politics, financially bailing out the party a few years ago when its legal debt mounted during a court fight over paths for candidates to get on the ballot.

The Entrata board of directors asked Bateman to step down Tuesday, and he agreed.

"The opinions expressed by Dave were his alone and do not reflect the views or values of Entrata ... To be absolutely clear, we at Entrata firmly condemn antisemitism in any and all forms," CEO Adam Edmunds said in a statement.

His email was also met with shock and dismay from people like Blake McClary, another prominent Utah tech executive who runs the Salt Lake City chapter of Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit representing the state's tech industry. He tweeted a call for Bateman to step down from Entrata and "not embarrass us."

Rabbi Avremi Zippel of Chabad Utah called the email "blatant antisemitism" and a "flaming pile of garbage" that could lead to real-world violence.

"We know how quickly things go from ridiculous conspiracy theories online and in emails, how that jumps to violence rather quickly," he said.

The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the US were tested in tens of thousands of people and proven to be both safe and effective at dramatically reducing the risk of serious disease and death. The vaccines now have been given to millions of Americans, and that real-world use plus extra government safety tracking have made clear that serious side effects are extremely rare – and that any risk is far lower than the risks posed by COVID-19.

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Twitter said Sunday it had banned the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of the platform's COVID-19 misinformation policy, the latest strike against the firebrand whose embrace of conspiracy theories has been called "a cancer" for the GOP and led the House to boot her from committees.

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The Georgia Republican's account was permanently suspended under the "strike" system Twitter launched in March, which uses artificial intelligence to identify posts about the coronavirus that are misleading enough to cause harm to people. Two or three strikes earn a 12-hour account lock. Four strikes prompt a weeklong suspension. Five or more strikes can get someone permanently removed from Twitter.

In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, Greene blasted Twitter's move as un-American. She wrote that her account was suspended after tweeting statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a government database that includes unverified raw data.

"Twitter is an enemy to America and can't handle the truth," Greene said. "That's fine, I'll show America we don't need them and it's time to defeat our enemies."

Twitter had previously suspended Greene's personal account for periods ranging from 12 hours to a full week. The ban applies to Greene's personal account, @mtgreenee, but does not affect her official Twitter account, @RepMTG.

The first-term lawmaker has repeatedly stirred controversy over inflammatory commentary.

On social media, she has voiced support for racist views, unfounded QAnon pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theories such as the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and calls for violence against Democratic politicians, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Last February, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called her embrace of conspiracy theories and "loony lies" a "cancer for the Republican Party." The Democratic-led House that same month tossed her from her two committee assignments, the House Education and Labor Committee as well as the House Budget Committee.

In July, Twitter suspended Greene for a week after US President Joe Biden urged tech companies to take stronger action against bogus vaccine claims that are "killing people." Twitter has defended its efforts to keep dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 off its site, saying it has removed thousands of tweets and challenged millions of accounts worldwide.

A few weeks prior, Greene caused widespread offense when, speaking on a conservative podcast, she compared mask mandates to Nazi policies during the Holocaust (a reference to the yellow Stars of David Jews were forced to wear).

Among Greene's final tweets was one Saturday that falsely referenced "extremely high amounts of covid vaccine deaths," according to tweets stored in the Internet Archive.

Last week, Greene also boasted on Twitter about talking to the former president by phone. She said she had received Trump's permission to clarify his stance that he is against vaccine mandates though he encourages people to get the vaccine and booster. Trump was booed by some audience members in Dallas on Dec. 19 when he said he had received a COVID-19 booster shot.

On Sunday, the White House's top medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the US has been seeing almost a "vertical increase" of new COVID-19 cases, now averaging 400,000 cases a day, with hospitalizations also up. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has driven a surge in new cases across the country.

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COVID vaccines do not affect the functioning of the ovaries or women's fertility in general, a study from Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer has found.

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The research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, was conducted by the Women's Department at Sheba. Dr. Aya Mohr-Sasson led the study, along with Professor Jaron Rabinovici, deputy director of the Josef Buchmann Gynecology and Maternity Center

The study investigated the levels of the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) – whose levels indicate a woman's ovarian reserves – among some 200 subjects of childbearing age. A total of 129 women completed all stages of the study.

The women were tested before receiving first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine and again three months after the first dose. In the three-month interval, the subjects received the second dose of the vaccine.

According to the study, the vaccine had no adverse effect on the women's ovarian functioning, and their AMH levels did not change. The hormone levels remained steady even when the subjects were analyzed by age group.

Sheba Medical Center is currently conducting a follow-up study on girls ages 12-18, as well as tracking the original group of subjects after they received booster shots.

Rabinovici said, "One of the concerns since the COVID vaccine appeared was that it could cause infertility. The study shows that the vaccine does not affect a woman's fertility. As for the future, we know that the vaccines' side effects are short-term, not long-term."

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US health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year.

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It's too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won't be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year's record number of deaths by at least 15,000, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's death statistics.

Last year was the most lethal in US history, due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC report being released Wednesday shows 2020 was actually even worse than the agency previously reported.

The report presents a final tally for last year of about 3.384 million US deaths, about 25,000 more than a provisional count released earlier this year. Such jumps between provisional and final numbers are common, but 2020's difference was higher than usual because of a lag in death records from some states that switched to new electronic reporting systems, Anderson said.

The CDC this week also revised its estimate of life expectancy for 2020. Life expectancy at birth that year was 77 years, a decrease of 1.8 years from 2019. The agency previously estimated the decline at 1.5 years.

Anderson said it's likely that the nation will see more than 3.4 million deaths in 2021. Other experts said they think deaths for the year will end up either about the same as in 2020, or higher.

"It's really sad," said Ali Mokdad, a mortality statistics expert at the University of Washington.

A large reason is COVID-19, which hit the US hard around March 2020 and became the nation's No. 3 cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.

Last year, COVID-19 was the underlying cause in about 351,000 deaths. This year, the number is already at 356,000, and the final tally could hit 370,000, Anderson said.

Experts also think the 2021 numbers will be affected by a drug overdose epidemic that is expected to – for the first time – surpass 100,000 deaths in a calendar year.

An increase in annual deaths is not unusual. The annual count rose by nearly 16,000 from 2018 to 2019 – before COVID-19 appeared.

But the coronavirus clearly had an impact. The nation had the smallest population gain rate in history between July 2020 and July 2021, primarily because of the COVID-19 deaths, said Kenneth Johnson, a University of New Hampshire researcher.

Officials had hoped COVID-19 vaccines would slash the death count. But vaccinations became available gradually this year, with only 7 million fully vaccinated at the end of January and 63 million at the end of March.

Since then, many Americans have chosen not to get vaccinated. The CDC says 204 million Americans are fully vaccinated – or about 65% of the US population that are age five and older and eligible for shots.

Indeed, that's a big part of why COVID-19 deaths could climb despite the availability of effective vaccines, Mokdad said. The appearance of new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus only made the problem worse, he added.

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"The fifth wave of coronavirus, the Omicron wave, has started in Israel, along with continued outbreaks of Delta," an official in the IDF's National Coronavirus Knowledge and Information Center said Tuesday.

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At least 183 people have tested positive for COVID in a localized outbreak in Maaleh Adumim, mostly pupils in the city's public schools, the Health Ministry reported.

According to ministry data, 23 of the new confirmed cases in Maaleh Adumim are suspected to be the Omicron variant. Of the residents who contracted the virus, 48 were unvaccinated.

A total of 61 new cases were identified at the Dekel Vilnai School, with another 14 cases at the Tzemach Hasadeh School and 27 at the Aimr Ori School. There were additional cases in a number of nursery schools in the city.

Maaleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel decided to respond to the outbreak with a number of steps that include doubling the number of Home Front Command testing sites, bringing a mobile testing lab that will make the rounds of the city's schools next week, and stepping up the vaccination program for Maaleh Adumim residents, as well as stricter enforcement of COVID regulations.

Kashriel also ordered the schools at which Omicron cases were discovered to move classes to Zoom.

"We're working quickly and efficiently," Kashriel said.

As Israel is poised to launch an expanded campaign to vaccinate school pupils, Israel Hayom has learned that only 400 school nurses have agreed to join the campaign.

Last week, the Health Ministry, Education Ministry, and IDF Home Front Command started a vaccination campaign at elementary schools last week, with mobile vaccination units already set up in a few communities, including Yavne, Zemer, Rahat, and Karnei Shomron. But the school were notified that the vaccine-mobiles would be removed, with vaccinations to be administered by school nurses.

An estimated 874,000 school children ages five to 11 have not yet been vaccinated. Assuming that a school nurse can administers 100 vaccines per day, as many nurses as possible are needed.

As of Tuesday, only slightly more than one-quarter (26.7%) of elementary school pupils in Israel were vaccinated.

In a meeting with senior Health Ministry officials on Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suggested that unvaccinated children in cities and towns designated "red" and "orange" under the traffic light system go back to distance learning.

A number of other proposals were made at the meeting, including expanding the green pass vaccination certificate requirements; an end to government funding for antigen tests for children; and a mandate that half of all employees in the public sector work from home.

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The officials agreed to meet again on Tuesday.

The national parent-teacher association responded to Bennett's suggestion that unvaccinated children stay out of public schools with a statement: "We will not lend our hand to separating students. A proposal like this is a disgrace to decision-makers in Israel. The orders issued today from the situation room about forcibly bringing COVID vaccines into schools is a coercive action that will lead to battles in schools, to serious mistakes, and mainly a lack of trust between parents and teaching staff."

"We call on the prime minister to reverse his decision and consider the will of the community and the school leadership and bring COVID vaccines in only where they are wanted. We call for a strike at any school that introduces vaccines despite local opposition. Our children aren't pawns and we will not allow unvaccinated children to be punished and kept out of schools," the PTA said.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus reproduction rate (R) in Israel hit a four-month high on Tuesday, standing at 1.28, meaning that every confirmed COVID carrier infects an average of 1.28 other people, the Health Ministry reported.

The percentage of COVID tests that come back positive was also increasing, with 1.27% of tests processed from Monday to Tuesday yielding positive results, the highest percentage since Oct. 20.

However, the numbers of seriously ill patients remain relatively stable, with 81 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition as of Tuesday morning. Of the hospitalized patients, 48 were in critical condition, 41 were on ventilators, and 16 were attached to ECMO machines.

In the past seven days, three Israelis have succumbed to the virus, pushing Israel's cumulative COVID death toll to 8,232.

Ariel Kahana contributed to this report.

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Amid global uncertainty, with Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel expressing doubts about whether his company's vaccine is effective against the Omicron variant, and head of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss expressing concerns in the Knesset that the virus could mutate and spread, Professor Eli Sprecher from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the expert behind the models that predict Israel's number of serious COVID cases, is sticking to the easier line he has espoused since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020.

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Sprecher has been tracking the low number of confirmed cases currently in Israel, and sees no reason for panic.

"The decision to stop incoming tourism for two week was reasonable," he tells Israel Hayom.

"I'm doubtful it matters, because there's no way of keeping variants out of Israel, especially when they're really contagious. The decision might delay things a bit. There's no difference between a tourist from another country who arrives in Israel and an Israeli resident who returns from a vacation in that country, other than the assumption that Israelis have to come home," he says.

"I would make sure to keep careful tabs on people who arrive from abroad and after the period of self-isolation, and bring [the option of] electronic tracking bracelets back to the table. At this time, I would invest in a vaccination campaign, because they provide the best protection against Omicron. I don't remember when we had such an effective and safe vaccine. I don't understand how when offered a gift like this, which comes from science, there are people who refuse it."

Q: Can you understand parents who are afraid to vaccinate their children?

"Definitely. I don't dismiss them or judge them. It's our responsibility as doctors and as a healthcare system to explain, and convince them to."

Q: If you had a five-year-old, would you vaccinate them?

"Obviously. I'd be standing in line the first day."

Sprecher touches on the wild incitement against doctors who take a stance in support of vaccines.

"The fact that Sharon Elroi Preiss is forced to have a security detail is terrible, in my opinion. Since COVID, we've seen the social discourse become radicalized, and medicine is at the center of that discourse. Israel is not a violence-free country, but I've never seen such a base outburst of it toward doctors."

Q: Do you think Omicron will affect us in Israel?

"I can't say it won't. It's impossible to say that it won't influence the number of cases, but there are currently no data that allow me to say otherwise. It was clear variants would arrive, and this won't be the last. Israel is in good shape right now, but also vulnerable, because of a critical mass of people who aren't vaccinated."

Q: Are we facing a fifth wave?

"We aren't facing a fifth wave, and we won't be two weeks from now, either. What will happen after that, I can't say."

Q: So how long will COVID last?

"A few years, I think. A wild guess – less than 10 years."

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Barring unforeseen events, the government is expected on Wednesday evening to approve COVID vaccinations for children ages five to 11.

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Given threats against Director of Public Health Services at the Health Ministry Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss and other experts involved in the discussion about vaccinating children, Wednesday's meeting will not be made public. All conclusions and explanations will be announced once the decision has been made.

One of the key figures in Israel's public battle against COVID is Dr. Tal Brosh, director of the Infectious Disease Unit at Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital, who is also coordinating the Health Ministry team charged with handling the epidemic in Israel.

In a special interview to Israel Hayom, Brosh touches on the importance of vaccinating children, the expected discussion, and the serious threats anti-vaxxers are making against medical experts.

"I think they will recommend vaccinating children," Brosh says. "We've seen that the FDA and the CDC both recommended it. The position of the Health Ministry is in favor of it and so is the position of the Israel Pediatric Association. I think a big majority [of the panel] will be in favor of it."

Q: What can we expect in the discussion itself?

"The problems we'll be discussing include the matter of vaccinating children with positive serological tests [meaning they have tested positive for COVID antibodies but not the virus itself]. The Pfizer study included a certain number of children who had recovered from COVID, and that gives us safety information about children who were vaccinated after recovering from the virus. The [vaccine] is less beneficial to recovered COVID patients."

Q: What can we say to parents who read an article by a doctor who says that COVID isn't a serious disease in children, and the vaccine doesn't prevent post-COVID pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS)?

"The article is well-written, but she states as fact things that are extremely inaccurate. It's an incorrect interpretation of the data. It's clear that COVID is much less dangerous in children than in adults, but data from Israel, which are similar to numbers from the US, talk about one in 3,000 children who contract the virus developing PIMS, and a danger of one in 1,000 children who contract COVID being hospitalized in serious condition."

Q: When will the vaccination campaign start?

"I think that the special vaccine doses for children should arrive in Israel any day now The moment the team in charge of handling COVID recommends it, the Health Ministry's regulatory part in approving them will be very quick."

Q: What questions will the team be voting on?

"They haven't been completely formulated, but the main question is whether or not we in the Health Ministry recommend vaccinating children ages five to 11."

Q: Why will the upcoming meeting not be publicly broadcast?

"Mainly, out of concern it will lead to a shallow discussion The moment you're on camera, there are people who won't want to take part."

Q: Dr. Elroi Preiss said that vaccines for children will not be mandated. Do the experts have a mandate to make recommendations about the Green Pass vaccination certificate, free testing, etc.?  

"The Green Pass issue is the Health Ministry's to execute. If the government thinks it's right to vaccinate, it needs to do everything it can to persuade the people."

Q: What percentage of children do you expect will get vaccinated?

"I think there will be a run on the vaccine from a lot of parents who've been waiting for it, but that will pass quickly, and I don't think we'll reach 50%. The vaccine for children won't wipe out the pandemic in Israel, and at the end, there will be repeated waves and everyone will be exposed to the virus sooner or later."

Q: Can we expect a booster shot for children, too?

"We still don't have the answer. About the kids, we'll track their antibody numbers."

Q: You've been threatened by anti-vaxxers. Are you afraid?

"The issue of threats and the personal risk to members of the team handling COVID is a very serious one. We aren't elected officials or government functionaries. I pity Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss, who is receiving threats, which is horrifying. Personally, I've gotten threats and since then haven't been checking social media.

"Very occasionally, I look at comments, and it's shocking. They write that I'm a 'criminal,' 'getting money from Pfizer,' a 'murderer of children.' I don't feel like my life is in anger, but I'm worried that a person could get up and decide to take action, and target even me with violence," Brosh says.

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