Omicron mutation - Israel: Abolition of the vaccination certificate on the table

The Ministry of Health of the Israel, is likely to recommend later this week that the government abolish the green certificate [in other countries a vaccination certificate], which ensures access to many places to persons who have been vaccinated, have recovered from coronavirus or have recently were found negative, reports the Haaretz newspaper.

Omicron mutation: the Ministry of Health is about to propose the abolition of the vaccination certificate

Many experts have been arguing for weeks that the green certificate is pointless, given the current high rate of infections from coronavirus in Israel. Some have even warned that it creates a false sense of security that makes people neglect other precautions.

However, Israel's cabinet decided on Sunday to extend the validity of the certificate for most sites for another week, to schools by 27 February and in healthcare facilities by 1 March.

However, sources of the Ministry of Health said the extension was mainly aimed at giving the ministry time to finalise its own recommendation, which is the possible abolition vaccination certificate or at least a large reduction in the number of sites where required. The ministry will make its proposal known at the meeting of the cabinet for the coronavirus this week.

«We need another a week, both to analyse the data and to think about what changes we want to make,» a source said, adding that the ministry is reviewing not only the green certificate but also other restrictions on gatherings.

The source said the ministry is waiting for the analysis of the dynamics of coronavirus infections among vaccinated people to be completed before making a final decision. Due to the high number of cases from the Omicron mutation, the vaccination certificate is starting to look more and more and more irrelevant, transmits the Haaretz.

During the three first weeks of January, the number of new cases of coronavirus in Israel reached 1.6 million, exceeding the total for all of 2021. This, according to the experts, makes it increasingly obvious that the vaccination certificate is no longer effective in preventing infection, nor does it seem to encourage vaccination.

«It is not possible today to rely on vaccination or recovery [from the virus] to prevent infections. It seems that the vaccination certificate is no longer effective», concluded last Tuesday's meeting of the advisory committee of the government of Israel for the coronavirus. Instead, he said, «we should continue to encourage the use of masks».

Similarly, at a meeting on 22 January, the expert group concluded that «given the change in the morbidity picture and the low effectiveness of the third vaccine dose, the vaccination certificate no longer provides an effective solution against Omicron mutation indoors».

Furthermore, it warned that there is a risk of «creating a false sense of protection for certificate holders, especially in indoor activities. This could lead to more risky behaviour and a greater likelihood of contamination.