Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the country is currently on the ‘verge of a state of emergency’ after the country’s first case of the new variant of coronavirus was reported.
The Health Minister said that the passengers who returned from Malawi and two other suspected infected have been kept in isolation. Notably, all three have been vaccinated.
A new B1.1.529 variant of coronavirus has emerged in South Africa, which scientists say is highly contagious and has led to rapid spread among youth in Gauteng (the country’s most populous province).
In a cabinet meeting convened on Friday to discuss the new variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Bennett said that it is more contagious and spreads faster than the delta variant. He said officials are still gathering information on whether the vaccines are ineffective and whether it is fatal.
“We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency,” Israeli PM said. “I have asked everyone to be prepared and gear up to work round the clock,” he said.
Israel late Thursday announced the inclusion of South Africa and six other African countries on the red list, from where foreign nationals are banned from traveling to Israel. People of Israel are also banned from traveling to these countries and those returning from there will have to stay in isolation for a fixed time.
Israel launched the world’s first and most successful vaccination campaign late last year, and nearly half of the country’s population has received booster shots. Israel recently expanded its vaccination campaign to include children under the age of five.
However, Israel has recently dealt with a wave of the highly contagious delta form of the coronavirus.
Let us inform you that a new variant of Coronavirus (B.1.1.529) has been detected in South Africa. Virologist Dr Tom Peacock of Imperial College London posted information about the new variant of the virus on his Twitter account earlier this week. Since then scientists have been looking into this variant. This new variant is said to be more dangerous than the Delta variant of Corona.