Professor Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science has warned that if not enough of the 1,200,000 eligible Israelis receive the coronavirus vaccine, Israel will be forced to reinstate restrictions.
"The options right now are these - choose," he tweeted. "1. Vaccinate as many of the 1.2 million who can be vaccinated and have not yet been, to return to the herd immunity we had before the Delta variant, and forget about coronavirus forever or until the next variant."
"2. Masks, Traffic Light plan, tests, quarantine, enforcement, fines, restrictions, Green Pass, purple pass."
Later, he wrote: "The State can explain the importance and offer incentives, but at the end of the day it's the people's choice. It's important to explain that the only long-term, stable solution is the vaccine, and everyone who gets vaccinated protects himself, others, and contributes to our chance of getting back to where we were."
In another tweet, Prof. Segal answered: "Before Delta, Israel reached herd immunity or close to it. To regain herd immunity, we need to vaccinate as many of the 1.2 million over the age of 12 who have not yet been vaccinated. Yes, it's that simple."