Amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, a rise in pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) is being seen in children who recover from COVID in Israel and around the world.

The condition appears about 30-45 days after recovery from COVID.

Israeli senior health officials urged the government to cancel the plan to revoke quarantine for students exposed to COVID, which is scheduled to go into effect on Thursday. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held talks on Wednesday about delaying the plan by a week but ultimately decided to go ahead with the plan despite the health officials’ opposition.

Israel’s Teachers’ Union had also requested that the implementation of the plan be delayed.

Israel’s hospital directors informed the Israel Pediatric Association on Tuesday night that their pediatric wards have reached a breaking point.

“We are raising a red flag,” Prof. Tzachi Grossman, chairman of the Israel Pediatric Association, told Kan News regarding the change in quarantine regulations. “It’s still not too late to change the decision.”

“Things change quickly in this pandemic…there are now 130 children hospitalized, including 20 in serious condition,” Prof. Grossman said. “Just four days ago there were 11 in serious condition. Within four days we have seen a doubling in the number of seriously ill hospitalized children.”

“In the past few days, we’re starting to experience here what happened in the UK and US – a large number of children’s hospitalizations.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)