The Israeli Health Ministry is likely to recommend this week to the government to abolish the green certificate. in other countries a vaccination certificate), which ensures entry to many places to people who have been vaccinated, have recovered from coronavirus or have recently been found negative.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz,
experts have been arguing for weeks that the green certificate is without merit, given the high rate of coronavirus infections in Israel. Some even argue that it creates a false sense of security that causes people to neglect other precautions.[/P]Nevertheless, Israel's cabinet decided on Sunday to extend the certificate's validity for most places[/B] for another week,[/B] in schools until February 27 and in health care facilities until March 1.
The ministry is putting its cards on the table
However, health ministry sources said the extension was mainly aimed at giving the ministry time to finalise its own recommendation, which is the possible abolition of a vaccination certificate or at least a major reduction in the number of premises where it is required.
According always to the Israeli newspaper, the ministry will announce its recommendation at this week's coronavirus cabinet meeting.
"We need another week, both to analyze the data and to think about what changes we want to make," a source said, adding that the ministry is reviewing not only the green certificate but also other restrictions on gatherings.
[/P][BR][BR]The source said the ministry is waiting for an analysis of the dynamics of coronavirus infections among vaccinated people to be completed before making a final decision. Due to the high number of cases of the Omicron variant, the vaccination certificate is starting to look increasingly futile.
New wave of infections
During the first three weeks of January, the number of new cases of coronavirus in Israel reached 1.6 million, surpassing the total for all of 2021. This, according to experts, makes it increasingly obvious that the vaccination certificate is no longer effective in preventing infection, nor does it seem to encourage vaccination."
"It is not possible today to rely on vaccination or recovery [FROM THE VIRUS] to prevent infections. It seems that the vaccination certificate is no longer effective," concluded last Tuesday's meeting of the Israeli government's advisory committee on coronavirus. Instead, it said, "we should continue to encourage the use of masks."
Similarly, at a January 22 meeting, the expert panel concluded that "given the change in the morbidity picture and the low effectiveness of the third dose of vaccine, the vaccination certificate no longer provides an effective solution against the Omicron mutation indoors."
Furthermore, it warned that there is a risk "of creating a false sense of protection for certificate holders, particularly during indoor activities. This could lead to more dangerous behaviour and a greater possibility of contamination.
Source: in.gr
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