Israel Considers Abolishing Vaccine Passes: "Ineffective Against Omicron"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Israeli government is reportedly considering abolishing the 'Green Pass' system, a quarantine pass issued to those vaccinated against COVID-19, as it has proven ineffective against the spread of the Omicron variant.

According to local media such as The Times of Israel on the 24th (local time), the COVID-19 advisory committee under the Israeli Ministry of Health decided in a meeting the previous day to recommend the abolition of the existing Green Pass system. The advisory committee expressed the view that rapid confirmation of infection status through antigen tests, rather than vaccination certificates, should be used as the standard for allowing access to public places.

Professor Ran Balicer, who leads the advisory committee, said in an interview with Israeli public broadcaster KAN, "The existing Green Pass creates safe spaces from infection, but it is not effective in the current situation of the Omicron variant spread." He added, "Therefore, new guidelines are needed to allow people who test negative through antigen tests to access public places."

Following the advisory committee's recommendation, officials from the Israeli Ministry of Health have begun reviewing whether to abolish the existing Green Pass system, The Times of Israel reported. Previously, since February last year, when the initial COVID-19 basic vaccinations (1st and 2nd doses) began, Israel issued Green Passes to vaccinated individuals, those recovered from COVID-19, and people who tested negative in PCR tests.

In Israel, out of a total population of 9.4 million, approximately 6.06 million have completed the 1st and 2nd basic vaccinations, about 4.42 million have received the 3rd dose, and around 598,000 have received the 4th dose. Nevertheless, due to the full-scale spread of the Omicron variant, the daily number of confirmed cases has been fluctuating around 70,000.