It’s nearly three years since the COVID-19 virus was first detected in China. The world has mostly returned to normal, but the specter of the pandemic still sits over us. We look at the top three ways that Israel is still at the forefront of global COVID response.
Monitoring new developments
Israel led the world with its COVID response, being one of the first countries to roll out national vaccination programs. This quick action enabled Israeli society to return to ‘business as usual’ faster than many other countries, with mask mandates being phased out relatively early.
Israel is all too experienced at dealing with sudden threats. In many ways, COVID was similar to other times that Israel was ‘under attack’, with the response carried out in the same military precision. Just as the IDF is always vigilant for the next threat, so too is Israel’s Ministry of Health.
Israel maintains the Israel National Expert Advisory Team to monitor ongoing issues relating to the Coronavirus. The head of the team, Prof. Ran Balicer recently spoke to the Times of Israel, outlining how Israel is maintaining constant preparedness for a potentially dangerous COVID variant.
Prof. Balicer explained that in some ways, Israel is a ‘victim of its own success,’ with most Israelis having some degree of immunity, which makes cases less severe and people less likely to get an official diagnosis. With fewer official cases being identified, it means that the advisory team has limited data to identify trends. However ongoing monitoring is enabling Israel to stay one step ahead of the Coronavirus and ready to launch an immediate response.
Using data to dispel myths
Israel’s scientists are world-renowned and they have turned their attention to understanding COVID-19. With socialized medicine in Israel, there are central pools of data that have enabled scientists to study population trends. One study published this year looked at the efficacy of vaccination against Coronavirus in children 5 to 11 years old. Researchers found that the vaccination provided more effective protection in younger children of 5-6 years of age. The vaccine was found to show 51% effectiveness against COVID infection across the age groups.
For some, the fear of COVID vaccinations was amplified by talk of adverse cardiac events in adolescents. Information collected by researchers at various centers in Israel proved otherwise. These researchers collected information about adolescent patients who were listed in Israel’s largest healthcare organization (Clalit). The results, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, November 10, 2022, found that vaccine-induced myocarditis in adolescents is a rare event, occurring predominantly in males after their second dose. All of these cases were classified as mild. The clinical course is mild and benign over a follow-up period of 6 months, with a favorable long-term prognosis.
Tracking ‘long COVID’
One of the biggest issues being discussed around COVID is the idea of ‘long COVID’ – that a person could experience reduced health for months or, some say, years after having the initial infection. Another Israeli study evaluating the prevalence of long-Covid symptoms was recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. The study found that even among patients who’d had mild or asymptomatic initial infection, 34.6% of these patients failed to return to their regular health months after having contracted the virus.
The most prevalent symptoms of long-covid included weakness, general malaise, fatigue, dyspnea (also referred to as breathlessness), arthralgia, and headache. Other symptoms include impaired concentration, cough, chest pain or tightness, loss of smell and taste, myalgia, sore throat, diarrhea, memory disturbances, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this study is that most of these patients had reported themselves as being generally healthy prior to covid. The researchers conclude that primary care providers should prepare for COVID to have a significant impact on the type of healthcare that will be needed for the next months, and possibly years.
As winter continues, everyone is all more susceptible to illness. It is important to strengthen and protect the body from this winter’s cold and flu.
Enovid Nasal Spray is an antiviral nasal spray, manufactured in Israel. The spray releases a small amount of NO, a natural nano-molecule that proved to be effective in killing various contaminants – viruses, fungi and bacteria. By eliminating those viruses while they are in the nasal cavity, the virus is prevented from entering further into the body, infecting other parts. To ensure its availability, Israeli suppliers and Israelpharm are making Enovid available to the US market through their online pharmacy to international patients at a fraction of the cost.
Israelpharm focuses on bringing high-quality medical products to US consumers at similarly affordable prices as Israeli consumers enjoy. To further boost the immune system against COVID, Israelpharm offers Active Guard, to be taken throughout the winter and during the change of seasons. Active Guard capsules are made from a special formula of vitamins, minerals and herbs that work together synergistically to provide the ultimate protection to guard one’s body from winter illness.
While people worldwide face another winter with a possible resurgence of COVID, Israeli laboratories have been working to find ways to fight and protect the body from possible infection.
This article was written in cooperation with Israelpharm. Israelpharm offers US customers the ability to benefit from Israeli pricing on common pharmaceuticals through its website www.israelpharm.com. Products are dispensed by US-licensed pharmacists within Israel and shipped directly to your door.
