Omicron Variant Infection Soars, Israel Expects Herd Immunity To Form Soon

A health worker performs a COVID-19 test on a toddler in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 8, 2021. (photo: doc. Antara )

JAKARTA – Omicron, a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus, has caused a new wave of COVID-19 worldwide. In recent weeks, the number of cases of infection in the world has reached a record. An average of about one million cases emerged each day between December 24-30, according to Reuters data.

However, the mortality rate from Omicron has not increased that way, which brings hope that the new variant is less life-threatening.

Even a rise in infection rates of the Omicron variant could lead people in Israel to achieve herd immunity, the country's top health agency official said on Sunday, December 2 as daily cases were creeping up.

As late as last December, the Israeli government claimed that it was quite capable of preventing the spread of Omicron. However, as cases of transmission are currently accelerating, the daily number of cases is expected to hit a record in the next three weeks.

The development, said the director-general of the health ministry, Nachman Ash, could actually form herd immunity.

"The numbers are in a very high state to achieve herd immunity. This is possible, but we don't want to achieve it through a large number of cases of infection, we want (immunity) to occur because many people have been vaccinated," said Ash, as quoted by Antara.

Meanwhile, the head of the coronavirus task force at the Israeli Ministry of Health, Salman Zarka, said group immunity was still far from being confirmed.

"We have to be very careful about this, especially considering the experience we've had over the last two years that people who have recovered (from the coronavirus) can be infected again," Zarka told Ynet TV.

About 60 percent of Israel's 9.4 million population currently has received the full dose of the vaccine. Most of them got the Pfizer/BioNTech-made vaccine, according to the health ministry.

People who have been vaccinated have had three or two doses. However, hundreds of thousands of eligible citizens have not been injected with the third dose.

Israel has so far recorded a total of about 1.3 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. In the past 10 days, daily infections have quadrupled. Severe cases also increased but the increase was much smaller, from 80 people to 100 people.

Due to the severe level of morbidity, Director General Nachman Ash is considering allowing the administration of the fourth dose of the vaccine to people over the age of 60.

Last week, approval was issued for the administration of a fourth dose to residents living in nursing homes and people with weakened immune systems.