"There is a possibility that the Indian coronavirus mutation is resistant to the coronavirus vaccine," coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash said in an interview with Channel 12.
The commissioner added that Israel has also not hit herd immunity yet, despite the vaccination campaign.
The comments were made after the Health Ministry said on Friday that five cases of the variant had been identified in Israel on Thursday.
Moreover, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy said that "There are several coronavirus mutations in the Indian variant that worry us." He added that, "in general, the variants challenge the effectiveness of the vaccine," and proceeded to caution the "liberalism" centered around Ben-Gurion airport.
The comments were made after the Health Ministry said on Friday that five cases of the variant had been identified in Israel on Thursday.
Moreover, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy said that "There are several coronavirus mutations in the Indian variant that worry us." He added that, "in general, the variants challenge the effectiveness of the vaccine," and proceeded to caution the "liberalism" centered around Ben-Gurion airport.
The Health Ministry has stressed that at this time there is not enough available information to determine whether the variant poses a real threat to individuals who were vaccinated or to those who have recovered.
The Indian variant is considered relatively aggressive and is believed to be the main cause to a recent spike in morbidity rates in India.