A total of 150,622 first doses of Pfizer's COVID vaccine were administered throughout Israel on Wednesday, bringing the total number of Israelis to have received their first jabs to some 800,000, the Health Ministry reported Thursday.
Most (106,100) of the vaccinations administered on Wednesday were given in community clinics, while the nation's hospitals completed another 25,100.
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Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Thursday morning on Twitter that "Thanks to the medical teams and thanks to a rapid deployment of no fewer than 257 vaccination stations, Israel has vaccinated over 150,000 people for the second day running! In the 11 days of the campaign, we have vaccinated nearly 800,000 citizens. Thanks to the medical teams for their hard, important work – always with a smile!"
On a less happy note, the Health Ministry reported Thursday that 96,835 COVID tests processed in the latest 24-hours period returned 5,253 positive results, a 5.5% positive test rate.
As of Thursday morning there were 42,402 active or symptomatic COVID cases in Israel, with 1,093 patients hospitalized.
Of the hospitalized COVID patients, 639 were listed in serious condition on Thursday morning, including 165 who were on ventilators. On Wednesday, nine COVID patients died, bringing Israel's death toll from the virus to 3,314.
The Coronavirus Knowledge and Information Center reported that thus far, some 5.1 million people worldwide have been vaccinated for COVID, 3.9 million of whom received vaccines developed by western countries. The center also reported that it did not appear that the British variant of the virus would not affect the vaccines' efficacy.
As the number of new cases in Israel continues to rise, the government has agreed to allow the IDF Medical Corps to reopen and operate a dedicated COVID ward at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The ward is slated to open next week and will be run by the IDF in conjunction with the medical center.
"The ward [staffing] will be based on medical personnel from the medical personnel currently serving in the Medical Corps, with an emphasis on those who worked on the ward last October and have undergone professional training by the medical staff, under instructions from the Health Ministry," the IDF said.
As Israel continues to treat current cases and vaccinate the population in an attempt to prevent new ones, coronavirus coordinator Professor Nachman Ash said Wednesday in an online conference with spokespeople of local authorities that "There is a big question mark about how effective the lockdown is. In the next few days, it looks like we'll have to recommend that it be tightened."
Ash noted that the lockdown, instated Sunday, thus far has resulted in a 20% decrease in movement, compared to the previous two lockdowns, which saw a 60% drop in movement. Ash also said that the amount of movement was linked to the rate of infection: "I am very worried that if we race against the virus, we won't be able to vaccinate enough people," he said.
Ash said that mayors and local authority leaders who were not enforcing the lockdown rules in their communities had failed to grasp the severity of the situation.
When asked about politicians' involvement in public health policy, Ash said, "I have no doubt that the election has added more considerations to the decision-making process. That's obvious. My challenge is to convince the politicians who make the decisions. I am careful not to step into the political minefield."
To the question of when public events could be held, Ash said, "It's realistic that by Independence Day, we'll be able to hold limited public gatherings. I hope that by May, we'll have vaccinated 60-70% of the population, which will give us a minimum of herd immunity."
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In another concerning development, 1% of Israelis returning from Dubai, which only recently opened its borders to Israeli passport holders under the Abraham Accords, test positive for coronavirus, Israel Hayom has learned after reaching out to the Health Ministry and the Israel Airports Authority.
Since November, the IAA reports, some 35,000 Israelis have visited the Emirates. A total of 343 have tested positive since returning from the UAE.
Passportcard, a company that provides travel insurance to Israelis, says that it has handled about 70 cases of Israelis who tested positive for COVID. Approximately half of them tested positive in Israel prior to their flights. The other half tested positive upon arrival in the Emirates.
On Tuesday, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health services in the Health Ministry, reported that 14 of the passengers on board an El Al flight that landed in Tel Aviv from Dubai at 9 p.m. Monday had tested positive for COVID. All were members of an organized tour to Dubai. All passengers of the plane have been ordered to enter quarantine.
Despite the lockdown, Ben-Gurion International Airport is still operating, and thousands of Israelis continue to travel abroad, with Dubai being the most popular destination. On Tuesday a final decision was made to cancel a directive that would make quarantine in a government-run hotel facility mandatory for all Israelis returning from any foreign country.
All Israelis returning from abroad must remain in quarantine at home for 10-14 days, pending two negative COVID tests. COVID tests are now mandatory at the airport and are being administered in the baggage claim hall.
