Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday morning that Israelis may need to get vaccinated twice this year due to mutated virus variants and the fact that it’s still unknown how long the effect of the Pfizer vaccine lasts. “We may need to get vaccinated twice in one year, so we’re in talks with Pfizer and Moderna for the establishment of a vaccine factory in Israel,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Army Radio. “We’re negotiating with Pfizer and Moderna to sign an agreement to purchase vaccines which are effective against the new variants. If we need to vaccinate every citizen in Israel twice a year, we’ll need a total of 36 million vaccines.” “We’re preparing for the possibility of renewing the Green Passport system every six months.

For the first time in Israel, a case of the Los Angeles variant was discovered in an Israeli who hadn’t been in California or in contact with someone who traveled abroad, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday. The ministry also reported that there are 444 cases of the South African virus variant in the country. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel is currently in negotiations with Pfizer and Moderna to purchase vaccines that are effective against the new variants. Netanyahu added that Israel is planning to establish a vaccine factory in Israel and that if he’s re-elected as prime minister, his “primary mission will be to bring 36 million more vaccines over the next year.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

There are four Israeli children in critical condition with the coronavirus, according to Health Ministry data. There are also six pregnant women in critical condition. There are a total of 38 babies under the age of one who are hospitalized due to the virus, one of whom is in serious condition, and 48 hospitalized pregnant women. Although the infection rate and the number of seriously ill patients in the country continue to decline, the reproduction number has been slowly rising in recent days, standing at 1 on Monday. There are currently 742 seriously ill virus patients, of whom 232 are ventilated. The death rate has risen to 5,758. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

A 23-year-old avreich was hospitalized in critical condition after being found unconscious on Friday night shortly after becoming drunk earlier in the day due to Purim and a few weeks after recovering from the coronavirus. The avreich, who got married less than a year ago, is hospitalized in Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, sedated and ventilated. A relative told Kikar H’Shabbos that the hospital has already declared him brain dead and he is in need of much rachamei Shamayim. Doctors believe he may have suffered a post-coronavirus heart attack, exacerbated by his drinking. The avreich spent Purim in Bnei Brak, where he lives, and then traveled to his parents’ home in Ramot before Shabbos, when the incident occurred.

A real-world test of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in more than half a million people confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose. Wednesday’s published results, from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel, give strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller, limited testing persisted when the vaccine was used much more widely in a general population with various ages and health conditions. The vaccine was 92% effective at preventing severe disease after two shots and 62% after one. Its estimated effectiveness for preventing death was 72% two to three weeks after the first shot, a rate that may improve as immunity builds over time. It seemed as effective in folks over 70 as in younger people.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says if a coronavirus vaccine is available, regardless of which one, take it. The top U.S. infectious disease expert told NBC on Thursday a third vaccine becoming available “is nothing but good news” and would help control of the pandemic. U.S. regulators announced Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19. It’s expected to be approved soon by the FDA. Fauci warns people not to hold off on getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while waiting for the slightly more effective Pfizer or Moderna shots.

Pfizer’s Jewish CEO Albert Bourla said that Israel has become “the world’s lab” in an interview on NBC News on Friday. “I believe Israel has become the world’s lab right now because they are using only our vaccine at this state and they have vaccinated a very big part of their population, so we can study both economy and health indices,” Bourla said. “What we’ve seen is that the vaccine efficacy in real-world data is getting higher as we speak, following the second vaccination, so seven days compared to 14 days post-second vaccination, there is a difference in efficacy.” Bourla also said that trials on the vaccine’s safety for pregnant women and children are being carried out.

A 26-year-old pregnant woman in her 36th week of pregnancy who contracted the coronavirus arrived at the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba after noticing a lack of fetal movement. The doctors performed an examination and unfortunately, the baby was no longer alive. After the doctors delivered the stillborn baby, it was confirmed that it was also positive for the coronavirus – the second such incident in Israel. The woman, who had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, is currently hospitalized in mild condition. “All the complications related to pregnancy we’ve been seeing in recent weeks are only among women who haven’t been vaccinated, ” said Prof. Tal Biron-Shental, the director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit at Meir Medical Center.

Israel’s Health Ministry permanently revoked the medical license of a doctor who publicly denied the coronavirus, spoke out against vaccinations, and offered forged vaccination certificates for pay. Arieh Avni, who recently opened a clinic in Bnei Brak, owns a website popular among Israeli anti-vaxxers, where he publishes articles on conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines as well as slanders senior Israeli health officials. He also links to his articles on a Facebook page he runs.

Israel will launch a pilot program to monitor returning travelers with electronic bracelets during home quarantine as an alternative to mandatory quarantine in state-run hotels. About 100 travelers will wear the bracelets (on their wrists or ankles), which will monitor their location for their two-week quarantine period upon arrival in Israel via Bluetooth and GPS technology. If the pilot program is successful, Israeli travelers who test negative for the coronavirus at Ben Gurion Airport will have the option of wearing the bracelet instead of quarantining in a hotel.