Dr. Meshulam Hart, the “doctor of Gedolei Yisrael,” published a letter on Tuesday in the name of the Gedolei Yisrael calling for children over 12 to be vaccinated. “In light of the current fear of a renewed outbreak of the virus, especially among unvaccinated students and young teenagers, and after we presented the varying medical opinions about the issue to HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, they instructed the following to be publicized,” Dr. Hart wrote.

Israel’s Health Ministry will have no choice but to destroy 800,000 coronavirus vaccines if no country agrees to purchase them in the next two weeks, Kan News reported on Monday. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is urging Israelis, especially young teenagers, to get vaccinated before the vaccines in stock expire on July 30, warning that there won’t be enough vaccines for everyone after that date. Anyone who wants both doses has to receive the first dose by July 9. The report said that if the vaccines are discarded, it will cost Israel tens of millions of shekels. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

When health care leaders in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country began laying out a strategy to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, they knew it would be a tough sell with the Amish, who tend to be wary of preventive shots and government intervention. Early on, they posted flyers at farm supply stores and at auctions where the Amish sell handmade furniture and quilts. They sought advice from members of the deeply religious and conservative sect, who told them not to be pushy. And they asked three newspapers widely read by the Amish to publish ads promoting the vaccine. Two refused. By May, two rural vaccination clinics had opened at a fire station and a social services center, both familiar places to the Amish in Lancaster County. During the first six weeks, 400 people showed up.

As Israel grapples with a new outbreak of the coronavirus spurred by the Delta variant, health officials say that 30% to 50% of new cases are among those who have been vaccinated. But lest Israelis think their vaccinations were in vain, health officials say that those who are vaccinated are spared from serious illness. And the numbers attest to that as despite the rise in cases in the past week and a half, there has been a decrease in the number of seriously ill patients in Israel’s hospitals. As of Tuesday there are 21 seriously ill virus patients, ten less than the first week in June, and 14 ventilated patients, four less than the first week in June.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is urging Israel’s teenagers to get vaccinated amid an increase in coronavirus cases due to an outbreak of the Delta variant. “I’m appealing directly to teenagers,” Bennett said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.  “We don’t want to impose any restrictions, not on parties, trips or on anything. But precisely because of this, if you don’t want restrictions, go get vaccinated today. Talk to your parents and get vaccinated.” “Masks instead of restrictions, vaccines instead of lockdowns,” the prime minister added. Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba, and Hertzliya were designated as yellow zones over the weekend. Binyamina, a town in the north, is still designated as a red zone, and Modiin and Kochav Yair are still orange zones. Bennett also announced that IDF Maj.-Gen.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said on Sunday that she plans on proposing an amendment to the coronavirus law that will sanction quarantine violators with a one-year ban on travel outside Israel. A NIS 5,000 fine has already been approved for quarantine violators so Shaked’s sanction would be in addition to the fine. Most of the current coronavirus outbreaks in Israel have been tied to Israelis who returned from abroad and violated quarantine laws. “It’s a simple enforcement tool,” Shaked told Ynet.

Israel reinstated the requirement to wear masks indoors beginning on Friday at noon amid a number of coronavirus outbreaks around the country. The Health Ministry also advised that people attending large gatherings outdoors also wear masks and recommended that unvaccinated people and those in high-risk groups avoid gatherings. Health Ministry officials are also considering reinstating restrictions on the number of people allowed at gatherings and requiring masks outdoors as well. The coronavirus cabinet is meeting on Sunday to discuss the steps necessary to curb the spread of the Delta variant. A resident of Modiin who is suspected of violating quarantine laws was questioned by police on Thursday.

What should I know about the delta variant? It’s a version of the coronavirus that has been found in more than 80 countries since it was first detected in India. It got its name from the World Health Organization, which names notable variants after letters of the Greek alphabet. Viruses constantly mutate and most changes aren’t concerning. But there is a worry that some variants might evolve enough to be more contagious, cause more severe illness or evade the protection that vaccines provide. Experts say the delta variant spreads more easily because of mutations that make it better at latching onto cells in our bodies. In the United Kingdom, the variant is now responsible for 90% of all new infections.

Israel’s Health Ministry will likely recommend reinstatement of the indoor mask mandate by Sunday due to the surge of coronavirus cases over the past week. The indoor mask mandate was lifted last week. Over 100 new virus cases were confirmed on Wednesday morning for the third day in the row. Also on Wednesday, the northern town of Binyamina, near Haifa, was declared a “red zone,” the first locale designated as such in months. The positivity rate in the town is 3%, ten times higher than the rest of Israel. There are currently 1,107 residents in quarantine in the town of about 15,000. “A decision has been made that once we have a daily average of 100 cases over one week, we will bring back masks in confined spaces,” Dr.

The coronavirus vaccine has no effect on male or female fertility, a study carried out by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer showed, according to a Jerusalem Post report. The study evaluated 36 couples who underwent unsuccessful fertility treatments before being vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and then came back for another round of fertility treatments afterward. The researchers thoroughly examined all criteria and found that the vaccines had absolutely no impact on any aspect of fertility. “We decided to carry out this research because many people are scared of the possible effects of the vaccines on fertility,” said Prof.