Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on Monday, adding that he is feeling well and is in quarantine at home.
In a tweet, the minister said: “I feel great because I’m vaccinated. Go get vaccinated, put on a mask, [and] we’ll get through this together.”
Several Israeli lawmakers have been infected with the virus over the past week, as the omicron variant drives a surge in cases in the country. None of these Knesset members have serious symptoms.
Lapid’s deputy at the Foreign Ministry, Idal Roll, is also in isolation after having tested positive last week. He was confirmed a few days after seen in footage at a New Year’s Eve party without a mask.
Another cabinet member, Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, also tested positive this past week and remains in quarantine. His office said on Sunday he was feeling well.
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The Health Ministry reported 21,501 new confirmed cases on Monday, with the R number – the average number of people each coronavirus carrier infects – continuing to climb and now standing at 1.95. Among people aged 60 and older, the R number climbed to 2.11.
The R number is calculated from data from the previous 10 days, and any number above 1 indicates that the virus is actively spreading.
As Israel’s serious cases continue to rise, the discrepancy between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients becomes more evident. According to Health Ministry data, 14 percent of Israelis over 20 are unvaccinated, and they account for 45 percent of serious cases.
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