Is the variant strain of COVID-19 already in Israel?

By 103FM VIA MAARIV ONLINE, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: DECEMBER 23, 2020 14:16
A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN/FILE PHOTO)
A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel
(photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN/FILE PHOTO)
Prof. Jonathan Halevy, director-general of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, said on 103FM Wednesday morning that he thinks the variant coronavirus mutation might already be in Israel, undetected.
"I think the variant is more contagious," he said. "I would not be surprised if it turned out to be responsible for Israel's current wave of corona."
Later in the day, Home Front Command confirmed the high probability of the variant strain already being in Israel as well, according to Ynet.
"Except for the rise in cases, greater severity has not been detected in the variant strain," Halevy added, while also expressing his faith in the current vaccine's effectiveness against the strain.
"I don't think we'll be able to evade a full lockdown, unless numbers flatten out drastically in the next few days," he warned.