The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned against travel to Israel — one of the most vaccinated countries in the world — as the delta variant continues to spread.
Did the CDC ban travel to Israel?
Israel was added to the CDC’s list of countries with a “very high” risk of COVID-19 on Monday. The CDC said people should “avoid travel to Israel.”
- “If you must travel to Israel, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel,” the CDC warning reads. “Because of the current situation in Israel, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.”
Is Israel a bad place for COVID-19?
Per The Jerusalem Post, Israel has seen a surge in cases recently. In fact, the country reported 6,200 new COVID-19 cases on Monday — which is the highest number since February, when the COVID-19 vaccine was beginning to be distributed.
- More than 50% of those COVID-19 cases were among fully vaccinated.
Per The Times of Israel, the country has started to give out COVID-19 booster shots, too. However, 14 people who got their third shot were still infected with the coronavirus.
However, data from Israel revealed that the COVID-19 vaccines are working really well, especially among the elderly, Haaretz reports. In fact, unvaccinated people remain at a higher risk of getting infected.
- “According to the data, while the risk of experiencing severe symptoms increases with age for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated, it rises much more dramatically among the unvaccinated,” per Haaretz.