The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, an advisory body operating under the IDF Military Intelligence unit in cooperation with the Health Ministry, published a report on Motzei Shabbos warning of the possibility of the development of a mutated Israeli virus variant that is resistant to vaccines.
Due to the fears of the variant, the report recommends that even those who have recovered from the coronavirus or have been fully vaccinated still be tested for the virus upon entering Israel and be subject to quarantine requirements.
“The mass vaccine campaign taking place in parallel with the active outbreak in Israel may lead to ‘evolutionary pressure’ on the virus leading to a mutation with a certain advantage over the vaccine,” the report stated.
Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of the Health Ministry’s Public Health division, said on Thursday that “just as a variant emerged from the UK, one can develop in Israel.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
2 Responses
We do not believe in evolution. And it is lamentable that YWN would allow such a report to be transmitted without a disclaimer to that effect.
Rather, these strains have been around the whole time. As the more common, weaker, versions of the virus are destroyed and immunity to them is increasing, either through vaccines or recovered sufferers, these stronger but less plentiful viruses are becoming noticeable.
But before supposing that such a thing may occur, it is important to analyze other viruses to see if they behave likewise. For example, at some point during the winter season when the bulk of the population usually has gotten the flu vaccine, does a new strain of the flu manifest itself that is resistant to the vaccine?
We DO believe in evolution. Just not Charles Darwin’s extreme views of it. And mutations of viruses occur constantly. Unfortunately among those mutations are ones extremely likely to be vaccine-resistant and thus flourish while the resistant strains fade.