Spread of Omicron in Israel: Number of confirmed cases rises to 21 - half vaccinated

December 6, 2021   

The Omicron variant continues to spread in Israel: 10 new infections were confirmed today (Monday) for the new strain - four of whom were infected in Israel, from people who returned from abroad. The vaccine for children aged 5-11 is recommended by doctors: a special response for parents To date, 21 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been identified in Israel: • 16 of whom returned from South Africa, England, France, the US and the United Arab Emirates • Five were confirmed after contact with returnees from South Africa and the US. Of those 21 confirmed cases, eight are not protected - unvaccinated, recovering six months after recovery, and vaccinated with a second dose six months after vaccination - and 13 are protected. In addition, there is a high suspicion of another 21 cases of exposure to the variant for which the sequencing results have not yet been received. Of these: 14 are not protected and seven are protected. Also, of those 21 suspected cases: 5 returned from abroad or came into contact with those returning from abroad and 16 have not been abroad recently. In addition, there are 17 additional cases, defined as "low suspicion" (samples defined as borderline positive) and sent for retesting. Of the total confirmed and "high suspicion" (42): • Unprotected - 10 with symptoms and 11 without symptoms. • Protected - 5 with symptoms and 14 without symptoms. • Two unknown