Omicron surge could lead Israel to herd immunity, says nation’s top health official

Daily cases in Israel expected to reach record highs in next three weeks; Nachman Ash ‘prefers to reach herd immunity through vaccinations’

Herd immunity is not guaranteed, though, as pandemic has shown that some who recover from virus are later reinfected

Reading Time:2 minutes

This aerial view shows cars lined up at a drive-through testing site for the coronavirus, in the central Israeli city of Modiin, on January 2, 2022. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:46pm, 2 Jan 2022Updated: 6:51pm, 4 Jan 2022

Israel could reach herd immunity amid surging Omicron infections, its top health official said on Sunday, as the country approved the use of Merck & Co’s molnupiravir antiviral pill for Covid-19 patients.

The highly transmissible Omicron variant has caused a wave of coronavirus cases across the globe. Worldwide infections have hit a record high, with an average of just over one million cases detected each day between December 24 and 30, according to Reuters data.

Deaths, however, have not risen in kind, bringing hope the new variant is less lethal.

Daily cases in Israel are expected to reach record highs in the coming three weeks.

A medic in Israel gets a swab sample from a man at a drive-through testing site for the coronavirus, on January 2, 2022. Photo: AFP

“The (infection) numbers will have to be very high in order to reach herd immunity,” said Nachman Ash, director general of the Health Ministry. “This is possible but we don’t want to reach it by means of infections, we want it to happen as a result of many people vaccinating.”

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x