Israel to start charging unvaccinated for COVID Tests. On Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the country would start requiring the unvaccinated to pay out of pocket for COVID tests.
“There is no reason that taxpayers and those who fulfill their civic duty to get vaccinated will fund tests for those who refuse to get vaccinated,” he said. It was not immediately clear if this would also apply to school children.
Last week, Israel began administering booster doses to those with weakened immune systems, including heart, liver and kidney transplant patients, despite the lack of approval from overseas regulatory agencies.
But Health Ministry officials have indicated that third doses for the general population are not imminent, stressing that the vaccine remains largely effective.
Isralie Health Ministry data indicates that the vast majority (80%) of immunized COVID-19 carriers did not spread the virus to anyone else while at concerts, restaurants, gyms or event halls, Channel 12 reported.
Another 10% spread the virus to one other person at these venues, and 3% infected two or three others (for the remaining 7%, it’s unclear whether they were responsible for infecting others), according to the network. The report did not offer details on how many were infected by unvaccinated individuals at these sites.