Professor Nachman Ash
Professor Nachman AshPhoto by Flash90

Health Ministry Director General Professor Nachman Ash has said that it is certain that Israel is on its way out of the fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

In an interview with 103 FM Radio, Prof. Ash said, "We continue to see the drop in the statistics, yesterday as well. We can say with certainty that we are on our way out of this wave. We'll be able to be a bit more calm. The decision was to open the economy. It has a lot wider considerations, and it is a decision made by policymakers."

"We have done the maximum with regards to vaccines as well, and with bringing in the rapid tests. We protected the elderly population very well. It's always possible to look back, but I think that at the end of the day, there was action to bring down infection rates."

He added, "We could have taken steps such as restrictions, which would reduce infections, but every such step has a price, both economic and in health for people who restrict their actions. This is a theoretical discussion, but the decisions were made. There is tension here between making the decisions quickly and doing it in a more thorough fashion. This zigzagging has a cost. We are one government, and we are all partners on this path, we all need to improve in the process.

When asked if the AY.4.2 variant was on its way to Israel, Prof. Ash said, "There are many variants, and we need to learn what its clinical significance is. Right now I can't say too much, we'll see if it endangers us or not. Along the way, there were many variants, some of which were significant and some of which were not."