2,821 people tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, the Ministry of Health reports, up 65% from 1,712 last Sunday. Over 70,000 tests were carried out yesterday with 4.1% proving positive compared with 3.1% on Friday and Saturday.
There are currently 456 people seriously ill with the virus in hospital, up from 447 on Saturday, including 117 on ventilators. 376,359 Israelis have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, 4.1% of Israel's population, and 3,101 people have died, up 68 since Thursday, the Ministry of Health reports.
After failing to make any decisions about tighter restrictions yesterday, the coronavirus cabinet is again meeting today to consider what steps to take. Ministry of Health Covid-19 National Project Coordinator Nachman Ash is calling for all stores on streets and in malls to shut down and for schools above fifth grade to close. But some including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are calling for the imposition of a third lockdown.
If the week-on-week rise in new cases continues at 65%, then a third lockdown looks inevitable.
Meanwhile tighter restrictions have been introduced for Israelis returning home from high infection red countries. All passengers on flights from the UK, Denmark and South Africa cannot self-isolate at home and are being taken to Covid-19 hotels. The UAE, Rwanda and Seychelles have been redefined as high infection countries and passengers returning from there after December 26 will be required to go into isolation.
Despite the start of the vaccination drive yesterday, senior Ministry of Health officials in Israel say that it will be at least March before the benefit is felt in terms of seriously disrupting the infection chain.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 21, 2020
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