Daily Briefing Dec. 15 – The human toll the virus has taken on Israeli tourism

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Health correspondent Nathan Jeffay and Ops and Blogs editor Miriam Hershlag join host Raoul Wootliff on today’s podcast.

We start the show with an update on the latest coronavirus and Omicron data and assess how new estimations of the vaccine’s impact compare to those made a year ago.

We look at Israel’s ongoing vaccination campaign and ask if it really is slowing down.

And we discuss two blog posts about the impact of the pandemic — one that laments the damage done to the Israeli tourism industry, and the other that looks at interpersonal relationships in a post lockdown world.

Discussed articles include:

Israeli study finds 2 Pfizer shots fail to neutralize Omicron, but booster effective

2 Pfizer shots 70% effective against Omicron hospitalization — South African data

Liberman says tourism workers should find a new job amid ongoing travel restrictions

Reach out, please, to your local tour guide

I’m stepping back from hugs and embracing the mitzvah of consent

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