Despite the increasingly tight closure of border posts, the Omicron variant continues to gain ground in Israel. New measures take effect this weekend, but Israeli officials are struggling to agree on the usefulness of a fourth dose of the vaccine to fight the new variant.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Michel paul
During the weekend a cluster was detected in an nursing home in the center of the country. Immediate government decision: strengthening protective measures for the elderly population. From now on, rapid tests will be carried out at the entrance of retirement homes, even for holders of the health pass.
As of Sunday December 26, new restrictions also come into force, in particular for shopping centers and restaurants. In less than two weeks, the number of daily infections has practically tripled and the reproduction rate of the virus is on the rise to 1.4. The number of hospitalizations remains relatively stable.
The scientific council has given the green light to the fourth dose for the over 60s, the immunocompromised and the medical personnel, but the government has not yet given a final agreement to this new vaccination campaign which gives rise to a real political debate.
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