London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Why is Israel lifting Covid restrictions as England extends them?

Why is Israel lifting Covid restrictions as England extends them?

Analysis: both are viewed as running successful vaccine campaigns, but case numbers are very different

Israel and the UK were viewed as world leaders in their coronavirus vaccine campaigns but whereas the former is lifting almost all pandemic limitations, the latter is now glumly extending its restrictions in England amid a sharp rise in infections.

Despite starting its mass inoculation programme after the UK in December, Israel has sped ahead and it reached a key milestone on Tuesday, scrapping a requirement to wear face masks indoors, one of the final Covid limitations.

With theatrical flair, the director general of the ministry of health, Hezi Levi, removed his mask in a live TV interview for what he said was the “last time”, as the presenter chuckled.

After running the world’s fastest Covid vaccination campaign, the country of 9 million people has administered two shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to well over half its population. Daily life has returned almost completely to its pre-pandemic state, with shops, restaurants, hotels, concerts and cinemas all fully open.

Only 25 people tested positive for Covid on Monday, according to health ministry figures, and there are only 221 people in the whole country who are confirmed as having coronavirus. Fewer than 20 people have died from the disease in the past month.

In stark comparison, the UK recorded more than 7,700 daily cases on Monday, when the government announced that the final easing of restrictions in England would have to be delayed by four weeks.

The emergence of the Delta variant, first detected in India, is blamed for the steep increase in Britain. It is believed to spread 60% faster than the already highly transmissible Alpha variant, first detected in Kent, cause more severe disease, and be slightly more resistant to vaccines. More than 90% of Covid cases in the UK are now Delta.

Vast differences between the two countries, not only in population size but also cultural behaviour, access to vaccines, housing density and vaccine hesitancy, make comparisons difficult. An international debate around Israel’s obligations to unvaccinated Palestinians under occupation has also led to questions around whether its campaign can be branded a success.

Still, Israeli and British vaccination rates are not wildly different, raising questions around what went wrong and what went right. In Israel, 60% of the population has had one dose, and nearly 57% have had both. In the UK, slightly more – 62% – have had one dose, although only 44% have had two.


Oliver Geffen, an Israeli epidemiologist who has worked for Imperial College London and Public Health England, said it was vital to look deeper into the data.

“Two key differences between Israel and the UK are that Israel has a much higher rate of second dose vaccinations, and that vaccine rates are more evenly spread in the population,” he said. In Israel, he said, 77% of those 20-29 have had their second dose, while in the UK that figure is closer to 15%.

“This could be creating pockets of individuals that are susceptible to getting infected which may be driving the re-emergence of infections,” Geffen said. The recent rise in UK cases has been largely centred on people aged under 39, with particular concern over the spread in schools.

Geffen said the Delta variant in the UK could also “partially account” for the rise in cases.

While Israel has low case numbers now, variants have also hampered its efforts. The country suffered its worst rise in infections in January, even after its vaccine drive was in full force – an event blamed on the Alpha variant.

It responded by quickly shutting its borders to non-residents, a policy that largely remains in place. And while the Delta variant has been detected in Israel, it has not got out of control as it has in the UK, where the government was slower to act on curbing global travel.

Adi Niv-Yagoda, an expert in health policy at Tel Aviv University and a member of the health ministry’s Covid-19 advisory panel, said the UK’s decision to delay the second dose of the vaccine may have also affected its national campaign.

“Israel used two doses of the Pfizer vaccine,” he said, adding that the country abided by the company’s 21-day protocol for spacing the two jabs. “This is not an evidence-based correlation but we can see it is acting differently.”

Research results on different dosing methods has been mixed. One Israeli study showed two doses of the Pfizer vaccine have proved more than 95% effective against infection compared with 58% for one dose. However, a UK study found delaying the second dose might actually improve immunity in over-80s.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×