イスラエル、３歳～１２歳未満に抗体検査　学校閉鎖の回避目指す

【ネタニヤＡＦＰ＝時事】イスラエル政府は２２日、３歳以上１２歳未満の子どもを対象に、全国で新型コロナウイルス抗体検査を開始した。新学期を前に、ワクチン未接種の年齢層の抗体保有率を把握することで、学校閉鎖の回避につなげるのが狙い。（写真は資料写真）
　イスラエルでは感染力の強いデルタ株の影響で、１日当たりの新規感染者数が急増している。だが、政府は学校閉鎖に伴うさまざまな困難や、学習の遅れを何とかして避けたい考えだ。
　１２歳以上へのワクチン接種はすでに始まっているため、今回の抗体検査は予防接種をまだ受けていない３歳以上１２歳未満の子ども約１５０万人が対象。保健省と教育省、および民間防衛軍が共同で実施する。
　教育省によると検査の目的は、無症状感染などで感染者として報告されていないものの、新型コロナウイルス感染により強力な抗体を獲得した子どもの人数を把握することだ。十分な抗体を保有する子どもは、濃厚接触者になっても隔離対象とはしない方針で、新学期の混乱を抑えることを目指す。
　沿岸部の都市ネタニヤの検査場を親子で訪れた女性は、息子が新型コロナウイルス感染経験者だと判明したことに驚きをあらわにし、「息子は陽性でした。病気にかかっていたようですが、全く知りませんでした」とＡＦＰに語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/08/24-11:04）

Israel on Sunday launched antibody testing for children aged as young as three, seeking information on the number of unvaccinated youths who have developed protection against coronavirus ahead of the new school year.
Despite surging daily infections caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, Israel's government insists it wants to avoid the hardships and developmental setbacks caused by school closures.
Israel has already begun vaccinating children aged 12 and above.
The national serological survey is focused on pupils between the ages of three and 12 who are not yet eligible for the jab, nearly 1.5 million children.
It is aimed at discovering how many children developed strong antibody protection against coronavirus after having an unrecorded or latent case, according to the education ministry.
Those children with sufficient antibodies will not be forced to quarantine when exposed to a Covid patient, a move aimed at limiting school-year disruptions.
In a statement Sunday from the Jerusalem municipality announcing Israel's largest serological operation, Mayor Moshe Leon urged parents to bring their children for the free 15-minute test done by finger pin-prick.
The survey is being conducted jointly by the health and education ministries and by the army's Home Front command, which told AFP Sunday that its antibody testing operation had begun.
At a serological testing site in the coastal city of Netanya, Zohar was pleasantly surprised to discover that her son had been infected with Covid.
My son got a positive result for Corona antibodies, apparently he was sick and we did not know about it, she told AFP.
That means now that he will get a 'green pass' and be able to go to school safely, she said.
Her younger daughter, also tested on Sunday, did not have the antibodies.
- 'Emotional damage' -
A pilot programme conducted last week focused on mainly ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities found that roughly a fifth of children had developed antibodies, army radio reported Sunday.
Education ministry director general Yigal Slovik said in a statement last month that last year's school closures caused emotional and social damage to students.
The lockdowns and remote learning caused a 44 percent increase in referrals for suicidal risk diagnosis, among other impacts, he said.
Israel was one of the first countries to launch a vaccination drive in mid-December via an agreement with Pfizer to obtain millions of paid vaccine doses in exchange for sharing data on their effectiveness.
The inoculation campaign was hailed as a success story that helped drastically reduce infections, but Israel is again registering thousands of daily cases.
As it launches the serological survey, Israel is also pushing forward with vaccinations, offering a third, or booster, shot to everyone over 40 while urging the unvaccinated to get the jab.
More than 5.4 million of Israel's roughly 9.3 million people have received two doses of the vaccine, while 1.2 million have had a third jab.
Israel has recorded nearly 980,000 coronavirus infections since the pandemic started early last year, and over 6,700 deaths.