Update 9/20/2022 – Temple Israel Board of Trustees has updated the current COVID-19 Policy for the congregation.

Miami-Dade County continues to have a community level of Covid-19 that is HIGH even in the face of decreasing cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The positivity rate remains quite high at 12%. While President Biden says the pandemic has ended his federal agencies have not endorsed an end yet. We as a society have moved to individual responsibility instead of governmental regulations. It is still advisable to take individual precautions like wearing a high-quality mask indoors or social distancing if you are immunocompromised, unvaccinated, or elderly (over 65).

A new bivalent booster has been approved and is recommended for all vaccinated people 12 years or older. This booster protects against the original strain of SARS-Cov-2 and against the common omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 that are currently causing most cases of Covid-19 in the US. This new bivalent booster should be given at least 2 months after a prior vaccination/booster or Covid-19 infection. This new booster takes 1 month for the body to achieve peak level immunity. It remains effective for 4-6 months based upon data from earlier boosters but it may last for a year. Decisions about when to get the new booster should be individualized depending upon future plans e.g. future travel plans or large indoor family gatherings like Thanksgiving Day.