No sign of an Israeli covid variant

The Health Ministry’s Public Health head, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, said in an interview on Sunday that there was no knowledge of an “Israeli mutation” emerging, a possibility that was projected by AMAN (military intelligence) researchers. Only three strains have been currently identified, she said, the UK, South African and the Brazilian variants. The only way forward, said Dr. Alroy-Preis, was through mass vaccinations. By now, 2,497 million Israelis have received their first dose and 946,594 their second. From Sunday, high-school kids of 16-18 become eligible for shots.

The Vizhniev Hassidic rabbi Yisroel Hager has ordered the community’s schools (Talmudei Torah) and seminaries (yeshivot) to open for studies from Sunday – in defiance of the lockdown rules closing the entire education system until Jan 31.The police will levy fines on school heads – but not approach the eminent rabbi.