Israel, which was considered a fully vaccinated country early after the COVID-19 vaccines were introduced, started experiencing a new wave of COVID infections in May — and the numbers were striking:

Out of more than 7,700 new cases just 72 were reported in people who were known to have been infected previously — that is, less than 1% of the new cases.  

“With a total of 835,792 Israelis known to have recovered from the virus, the 72 instances of reinfection amount to 0.0086% of people who were already infected with COVID,” the Israel National News reported. “By contrast, Israelis who were vaccinated were 6.72 times more likely to get infected after the shot than after natural infection, with over 3,000 of the 5,193,499, or 0.0578%, of Israelis who were vaccinated getting infected in the latest wave.”

Now, in August, so many people are coming down with the virus that the country is considering another lockdown. Some have begun wearing double masks as they line up to join the 775,000 who have already received a third shot.

Interestingly, the vaccine waned early for those considered the most vulnerable, and who were vaccinated first when the shots were introduced: the elderly.

SOURCES:

Israel National News July 13, 2021

Financial Times August 13, 2021