COVID in Israel: Nearly 4,000 new cases for first time in five months

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New coronavirus cases have neared 4,000 on Tuesday, Health Ministry data shows, for the first time since early March.

Israel’s coronavirus cabinet is slated to meet on Tuesday to discuss further measures to stop the spread of infection.

In addition to the 3,818 new COVID cases diagnosed on Monday, Israel also recorded a four-month high for patients in serious condition, with 221 people. Forty-two percent of patients in serious condition are not vaccinated, the Health Ministry data reveals.

The percentage of positive coronavirus tests is also steadily rising, with 3.78 percent of Monday’s tests returning positive.

Since the pandemic began in Israel, 6,492 people have died of COVID-19.

Israel is continuing to spearhead its COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign, with nearly 40,000 elderly citizens and people with underlying medical conditions receiving the third jab since the weekend.

On Monday, Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said that the spike in new daily COVID-19 infections “is worrying,” adding that further restrictions are being considered.

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However, Ash stressed that the Health Ministry is trying to curb the spread of the highly contagious delta variant without paralyzing the economy.

In a press conference, Ash said the Health Ministry had developed a special index to monitor the hospitals’ total COVID case load. He added people who have received the third jab have not reported any side effects thus far.

On Sunday, a team of officials from the Education, Health and Finance ministries presented a three-stage plan to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that would allow the educational system to operate even if the coronavirus continues to spread.

The first stage calls for identifying all the schoolchildren who have recovered from the coronavirus through a broad serological survey. In the second phase, the extent of infections in the schools will be monitored and outbreaks identified. The third step in the outline calls for schools to work locally to reduce the need for quarantine among students who have been exposed to confirmed cases.