• Coronavirus: fears in the US for the English variant, Israel extends the lockdown

  • Israel, first vaccine dose to about one third of the population

  • Coronavirus, Israel and Norway close borders for fear of variants

  • Covid, Israel closes "Ben Gurion" airport until January 31st

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06 February 2021 Infections among children and adolescents are on the rise in Israel.

Recent data from the Ministry of Health indicate this according to which in January the cases in those two groups of the population were more than 50 thousand, higher than those recorded in each month of the first and second wave of coronavirus and which is putting the ventilated at risk reopening of schools.



"We received a letter from the Israeli association of pediatricians - said the Minister of Health, Yuli Edelstein, quoted by the Jerusalem Post - in which they are very concerned about the rate of disease in young students. A fact that we have not seen in the previous waves of the pandemic ".



For this reason, the Israeli government in recent days has authorized the vaccination, within the more general context of the population, of young people aged 16 and over.



Immunologist Viola: "Closed schools do not protect children"

"A worrying phenomenon is occurring in Israel: cases of Covid-19 among children and adolescents are increasing significantly, peaking between 6 and 9 years. Despite the country is proceeding rapidly in the vaccination campaign, with about 80% of the population over 60 already vaccinated, the number of infections in the youngest has grown in such a worrying way as to alarm the Association of pediatricians ".



The immunologist from the University of Padua Antonella Viola writes on Facebook.

"Among the explanations that are circulating - he explains - is that of the diffusion in the territory of the new English variant which, being more transmissible, could also affect more children who, until now, had instead been spared".



"In reality - specifies the expert - there is no data that makes us think that children are more susceptible to this variant and therefore for the moment this is just a hypothesis like many others. It is interesting to note, however, that this strong the increase in contagion among the very young is taking place in closed schools, once again demonstrating that it is not by closing schools that we protect the health of our children ".



Extended closure of Ben Gurion airport "The

Israeli government has decided to extend the closure of Ben Gurion airport until February 21 due to Covid. At the same time, it has established that the Minister for Settlement Affairs, Tzachi Hanegbi, will lead the committee in charge to evaluate requests to leave and enter the country through special flights.