The head of public health services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, addresses the return of COVID-19 and the series of severe cases reported recently in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.
"COVID-19 never left us. Throughout the period since it entered our lives in March 2020, COVID-19 has been here in high and low waves of morbidity. The major change came when there were vaccines and drugs, and it became a disease that the healthcare system manages without mandates and quarantines, but COVID-19 has been here all the time," says Dr. Alroy-Preis, noting that there is indeed an increase in morbidity now.
In light of the rising morbidity, she recommends that elderly individuals get vaccinated with the updated vaccines, but "this is a disease that will accompany us for a long time. Those who do not feel well should try to stay home. Do not go out to avoid infecting others."
She mentions that a decline in vaccination rates can be observed in the system, for several reasons, primarily public unawareness and the fact that the virus is much less virulent than it used to be. "The current variant is less virulent, but elderly individuals are still at risk, and we do see deaths from COVID-19. It should not be underestimated, but compared to the early days of the disease, there is a broad decline in its severity."
When asked if the initial response was exaggerated, Alroy-Preis immediately responds negatively, noting that over 13,000 people died in Israel over three years, including young and healthy individuals with no underlying health conditions. "This required special handling both in the country and worldwide, apart from post-COVID issues that the system deals with in the period after the disease itself. This was definitely not something to be taken lightly. In hindsight, one could say things could have been done differently, but it was certainly required. The change came when the vaccines arrived, and the country got vaccinated, followed by drugs that allowed a different approach."
Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis states that even today, the medical system is dealing with well-organized campaigns against vaccines: "The impact is destructive and very broad, with voices based on fake news, causing skepticism in vaccine trust, a significant tool in preventing morbidity, scientifically known and scientifically-based. It's like street protests, but it can be found online as well, both for COVID-19 and other vaccines. This is a very concerning phenomenon because people read both incorrect and correct information online, making it hard for them to identify reliable information."
Dr. Alroy-Preis was also asked to address the tragic incident of a baby's death from pertussis: "It is heartbreaking, and there's no other way to describe it. This involved a completely healthy five-week-old baby who died from a completely preventable disease. This death could have been avoided, and it is certainly painful."
"This disease causes outbreaks, and we've been experiencing an outbreak for over a year with cases of pertussis. The vaccines [are] administered in the first year of life and then a booster at an older age target this, but the individuals most at risk are the youngest children. This disease causes severe coughing spells until the child chokes because they can't breathe. During pregnancy, the way to protect these little ones is for the mother to get vaccinated. In this case, the mother was not vaccinated. We had another similar case of a child too young to receive the vaccine, and the mother was not vaccinated, leaving no other way to protect the child. Therefore, it's vital to raise awareness about this."
Regarding West Nile virus, which appears more significant this year than in the past, Dr. Alroy-Preis says it's an unusual morbidity for this season. Typically, the peak morbidity is in August-September, and now we are still in June with 42 cases, an unusual number for this stage of the season. "Likely, this is due to global warming affecting us. We're experiencing far hotter days that cause mosquitoes to multiply more rapidly."
She adds a reassuring word: "This virus has been known to us for many years. We know how it behaves. Eighty percent of those infected develop no symptoms. About twenty percent develop general viral disease symptoms - headaches, muscle aches, vomiting, which pass, and less than one percent experience significant illness involving the nervous system, potentially leading to death, but these are cases involving at-risk groups, such as the elderly and immunocompromised individuals."
She emphasizes that the virus does not pass from person to person, but through mosquito bites. Protection from these bites is possible, including collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and local authorities for mosquito control, and on a personal level, using protective substances, especially in the late afternoon and evening, and drying up standing bodies of water.