COVID in Israel: Reversing trend, infection rate rises again

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The COVID infection rate in Israel is on the rise again, Health Ministry data showed on Sunday, two weeks after the opening of the school year and as the country marks the High Holy Days.

The infection rate known as the R number – the average number of people each coronavirus carrier infects – currently stands at 0.96. When the R number is below one, the pandemic is contracting; when it rises above one, it is spreading.

The number, which is calculated using data from the previous 10 days, show that in late August, before the school year began and as the third COVID booster shot became available to the general population, fell to a three-month low of 0.81. As of September 1, the first day of the school year, the number reached 0.96.

Israel has also seen a decline in new coronavirus deaths. Last Tuesday, 35 people died from the virus, while only seven deaths were recorded Saturday. Serious cases remain stable.

On Saturday, 10,084 people tested positive for COVID in Israel, according to Health Ministry figures. That day, 155,871 tests were conducted, 6.6 percent of which came back positive. There are currently 1,168 coronavirus patients in Israeli hospitals, of which 697 are in serious condition. There are 219 patients in critical condition, and 154 on ventilators.

Over the weekend, 1,713 returning travelers tested positive for COVID. Forty-seven had come from Moldova, 23 from Austria and 18 from the United States. The vast majority – 1,439 – had returned from Ukraine. Thousands of Israelis flew to the Ukrainian town of Uman for Rosh Hashanah to take the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Rabbi Nachman.

Police said Friday that over 200 Israelis who returned from the pilgrimage in Ukraine used forged coronavirus tests, despite at least some of them having tested positive for the virus. According to Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, the passengers in question tested positive before boarding the flight to Israel.
The arrivals who are suspected to have used fake tests are suspected of fraud, forgery, and spreading an infectious disease, which is considered a criminal offense in Israel in certain circumstances.

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There are currently 5,574 schoolchildren and 279 teachers who have COVID. Over 90,000 of the people who were diagnosed on Saturday were students or school staff, and 6.9 percent of tests from this group returned positive.

About 154,000 children are out of school due to the virus: 42,809 are active patients and 111,201 are in quarantine after coming into contact with an infected person. About 25.5 percent of students are vaccinated.