The Health Ministry said Thursday that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in preventing infection and mild symptoms has dropped to 40 percent, according to data collected over the past month as the delta variant spreads in Israel. Notably, the data might be skewed because a significant portion of the coronavirus tests in Israel were conducted in hot spots and among the elderly, while a small number of tests was carried out among the young and vaccinated population. One medical expert that is consulting the Health Ministry said that the data is still too distorted to make a reliable assessment of the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing infection and mild symptoms. Earlier Thursday, the country’s coronavirus cabinet approved reinstating restrictions, which, pending government approval, will go into effect next Thursday. Events with over 100 participants – both indoors and outdoors – will only be allowed to include people who have been vaccinated, have recovered, or have a negative test result, if they are age 12 or older.
People will also be required to present a vaccination certificate at cultural or sports events, gyms, restaurants, conferences, tourist attractions, and houses of worship. Furthermore, beginning on August 8, unvaccinated people will have to pay for their own coronavirus tests, except for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Those attending weddings and parties will have to present proof of immunity, even if they are younger than 12.