More than 6,000 people in Israel tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday, a daily figure not seen in the country since early February. Additionally, the number of serious cases neared 400, as the government is weighing a series of new measures.
Of the 130,669 tests conducted on Monday, 6,275 came back positive, for a positivity rate of 4.84% – the highest rate in Israel since the beginning of March.
As of Tuesday morning, 648 people with COVID are hospitalised, including 394 in critical condition, including 64 on ventilators.
Government coronavirus Czar Salman Zarka, who is leading national efforts to contain the pandemic, said Tuesday morning that the new figures are worrying.
“We are at a critical point for all of us,” he told Cannes Radio. “For our health, for our lives and for the economy.”
Zarka called on the population to get the COVID vaccine, and asked people over 60 to get a third booster dose, the best way to avoid a possible future lockdown.
Ziv Medical Center director Salman Zarka attends a ceremony in the northern Israeli city of Safed on February 25, 2020. (David Cohen / Flash 90)
“I want to restore a little optimism to all of us, and call on the public to vaccinate, wear masks and follow the Green Pass rules,” Zarka said. and outdoor gatherings as cases escalate.
On August 1, Israel launched a campaign to give a third booster dose of the vaccine to all Israelis over the age of 60 who have had more than five months since their second dose. As of Tuesday morning, 577,899 Israelis had received a third shot.
An Israeli over the age of 60 receives the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a Clalit vaccination center in Jerusalem on August 8, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The head of the Infectious Diseases Unit and Laboratory of Sheba Medical Center and an advisor to the government’s vaccine panel Prof. Gallia Rahav told Ynet news outlet Tuesday morning that those who received the third dose were already showing high levels of antibodies.
“I’m a big believer in the third vaccine dose,” she said. “We’re certainly seeing very encouraging results, where people are developing antibodies well after the third dose.” She predicted that booster shots would reduce the number of severe cases.
The head of the infectious diseases unit and laboratory of Sheba Medical Center, Prof. Galia Rahav looks at data from COVID-19 patients (Courtesy of Sheba Medical Center)
A senior advisor to the government’s coronavirus cabinet, Prof. Aaron Sehgal echoed that sentiment.
“There is certainly a possibility that we will start to see a slowdown in the coming weeks,” he told Army Radio on Tuesday morning. “The third dose will help reduce the rate of the most seriously ill among those infected.”
Sehgal said that the high rate of positive cases will soon translate into a high recovery rate, which will also aid in building immunity.
“We are accumulating a high rate of recovered people,” he said. “If we count the 20,000 infected that were documented, the actual number is probably around 50,000.”
Passengers are seen wearing face masks at Ben Gurion International Airport on August 5, 2021. (Avshalom Sasoni / FLASH90)
By Sunday, the entire green was pass reinstated In Israel, limiting most public gatherings – both indoor and outdoor – to people who have been vaccinated, recovered or presented a negative COVID test, with exemptions for those and until August 20 .
In addition to local measures, Israel is also working to stem the tide of new cases and variants arriving from overseas with strict rules for incoming travelers – both vaccinated and non-vaccinated – from most countries. House Quarantine will be required For 14 days or seven days with two negative tests starting on Monday.
