Israel's low vaccination rate against influenza has caused a spike in hospitalizations of patients contracting the flu virus, health officials said Wednesday.
The Health Ministry reported that since the start of Israel's flu vaccination campaign in mid-fall, only some 15% of the population received their shots - compared to 21% last year.
The data also shows that among people aged 55 and over, some 55% were vaccinated, compared to 64% last year. Among children below aged five and below, only 8% have been vaccinated so far, compared to 18% last year.
Health officials said due to a lack of demand, thousands of doses of the Flomist flu spray vaccine, highly favored by parents because it is not an injection, is set to be destroyed next month.
According to the Health Ministry, since the beginning of the flu season in Israel, 280 patients have been hospitalized due to complications from the virus. Chiefs of hospitals' internal hospitalization departments also point to an increased rate of patients hospitalized with respiratory disease caused by influenza.
Healthcare funds also expressed concern over the low flu vaccination rates. "So far some 435,000 people have been vaccinated," said Maccabi Healthcare Services' head nurse Tammy Alkalay. "We vaccinate at a slower rate than in previous years, by this time last year, the number was twice [this year's figures]."
President of the Israel Ambulatory Pediatric Association Prof. Zachi Grossman said the hospitalizations are rising because the health restrictions that were in place last winter have been removed, allowing people to socialize much more.
"Since there are no lockdowns, and the majority of the people don't wear masks everywhere they go, we won't have another flu-less winter season," he said.
"There is no way to know what the influenza wave will bring, and so I've been calling for weeks to boost vaccinations not only against COVID, but also against the flu. The clinics are full, and we see children in hospitals' emergency rooms [suffering from flu]. In order to reduce the rates of the flu disease, we must get vaccinated."