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Israel became the first country where citizens with five months of receiving the third dose of the vaccine have the option of taking a second booster, or a fourth, booster dose. The country is regarded as a vaccine leader, and by some as a role model in dealing with the epidemic threat. Has Israel really got hold of the virus? Can they speak of success after two years of a pandemic? We talk to Dr. hab. n. med. Tomasz Dzieścitkowski, a virologist from the Medical University of Warsaw.
- The vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Israel was swift. After a few months, the country decided to administer the booster, and soon after that also the fourth dose
- At the same time, we heard that the number of infections increased drastically at some points. Israel was hit hard by the wave of the Omikron variant in particular
- According to Dr. Dzieiąctkowski, Israel made one key mistake – they opted for vaccinations, and forgot about other methods of protection against infection (distance, masks, hand hygiene)
- The expert believes that other countries, such as Portugal and Spain, coped well with the epidemic
- Check your health. Just answer these questions
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Edyta Brzozowska, Medonet: If the rulers at the beginning of the pandemic adopted a similar strategy as in Israel, would the pandemic in Poland be much milder?
Dr hab. n. med. Tomasz Jerzy Dzieciatkowski, microbiologist, virologist: Speaking of Israel, we must remember that the country has much fewer inhabitants, so the epidemiological situation is much simpler. It is also important that the Israelis treat their country as the frontline, so no matter who or what the conflict is with, it is looked at with the same seriousness. Especially since the virus is an invisible enemy, and therefore extremely difficult. We should also remember that Israel allocated a huge amount of public budget funds to fight the pandemic.
Interestingly, the Israelis are given two-dose mRNA vaccines from Pfizer.
It must be said that from an economic point of view, the price of this vaccine is twice as high as the price for which the countries of the European Union are paying. This is due to the fact that Israel wanted to buy a large number of preparations and their quick delivery.
Israel considers itself a leader in vaccination against COVID-19, although not so long ago Boaz Lew, who advises the government on vaccination, said: “We do not want to force people to take it, we do not want someone who does not want a second booster he thought he was doing wrong. We want everyone to decide for themselves whether they want to add another layer of protection ».
Such voices did appear, but in the end the citizens of this country turned out to be extremely disciplined in this respect. This is why medical personnel were vaccinated in the first place. Then those vaccinations went from seniors and then down in age. When it turned out that the number of doses for citizens was sufficient, 16-year-olds were vaccinated quite early. A year ago, it even happened that if any of the doses of the vaccine were to be wasted because it was diluted from a dry state, the police stopped the cars, and the officers checked whether people who had been vaccinated were traveling in it. The unvaccinated were offered irresistible offers.
Further part below the video.
Contrary to popular belief, the fourth dose of the vaccine is not given to everyone.
The Ministry of Health in Israel calls for it to be given to people with impaired immunity. And they include seniors and cancer patients. The fourth dose for cancer patients is also being considered in Poland.
Are anti-vaccines in Israel as loud as in other countries, for example in Poland?
These movements are much less audible, and they are mainly related to Hasidim who treat the requirement of vaccination as an interference with the human body and contest vaccinations. However, there are not many such orthodox followers of Judaism.
Although vaccination in Israel has been going well and is progressing smoothly, we do hear of a high number of infections. Why is this happening?
Dr hab. n. med. Tomasz Dzieciatkowski
Because this country, opting for vaccinations, at some point neglected the forms of non-pharmacological protection, i.e. what doctors are calling for, not only virologists: about wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands. And it’s not about lockdown, but about adhering to these rules in the public space. And the Israeli authorities choked on the success of vaccinations and nearly knocked the end of the pandemic. However, as in most high-vaccination countries, while there was an increase in infections, there was also a decrease in hospitalization and deaths from COVID-19.
- See also: Why are Poles still dying of COVID-19? There are two reasons
Which of the countries do you think coped well with the pandemic?
This is Portugal, for example, where vaccination rates are high. Likewise Spain. While in June last year the country was lagging behind in this respect, after the heavy blow of the epidemic wave in the summer, and then the government’s calls for the adoption of the vaccine, the trend has reversed. The percentage in both countries increased to almost 90%. This shows that if we are dealing with a responsible population that behaves in a common-sense manner, formal restrictions are not needed.
Meanwhile, 30 percent. Poles declare that they will never get vaccinated.
And no arguments speak to them. It is difficult to argue with someone who uses the ‘no because no’ argument.
At what point of the pandemic are we as Poles?
For an answer to this question, I advise you to contact the minister of health. Or even better to some fortune teller. As a virologist and microbiologist, I can definitely say one thing: we are in the process. And the fact that we are all tired of this pandemic does not mean that we should let go and ignore the real dangers. Because SARS-CoV-2 is just waiting for our stumbles. That’s why you need to get vaccinated.
- Do you want to test your immunity to COVID-19 after vaccination? See the COVID-19 immunity test package, which you will perform at Diagnostics network points
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we were wondering why switching our thinking and acting to slow life is a real challenge? Why is listening to your needs so important? What will it do for us? You will hear about it below.
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