The spread of the contagious Delta variant has led to a four-month peak in daily coronavirus infections in Israel, with more than 800 cases reported by the Health Ministry Friday.
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As of Friday morning, there were 5,817 active cases in Israel, with 99 patients hospitalized. Of those,18 were in critical condition and 17 were on ventilators.
Of the 56,624 Israelis that were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 855 (1.52%) tested positive. Israel has reported 837,394, including 6,443 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The ministry also recorded "a sharp increase in the number of patients in serious condition due to the spread of the delta strain." The number of seriously ill patients went from 25 cases just two weeks ago to 52 cases reported on Friday. Similarly, the number of active cases went from an average of 3,700 last week to 5,800 this week.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced he would be convening an emergency meeting with top health, defense and transportation officials at 2 p.m. on Friday to discuss the alarming spike in morbidity.
On Thursday, the government instituted a so-called "happy pass," slated to come into effect on July 21, that would allow fully immunized Israelis, as well as those who recovered from COVID or present a negative test, to attend weddings and other large indoor events.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is hoping to grant emergency authorization for vaccines for children under the age of 12 by midwinter, an FDA official told NBC on Friday.
According to the official, the FDA needed a few more months of safety follow-up data. By giving the kids' innoculations the green light, the organization was hoping to bring relief to many parents who have been unable to vaccinate their children.
Professor Galia Rahav, head of Sheba Medical Center's Infectious Disease Unit, welcomed the move.
"It's impossible to achieve herd immunity without vaccinating the children. Once the FDA gives its approval, we will support the move as well," she said.
"At least 85% of the population must get vaccinated to achieve her immunity, and we know now that the younger the person is, the more effective the inoculation. The question is what the side effects on children might be. Pfizer is conducting a trial now to check the vaccine's safety. Initial results show that it is safe."
Professor Ronit Calderon-Margalit from Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine also spoke out in favor of vaccinating children under the age of 12, but cautioned not to rush the process.
"If we want to reach heard immunity, then this is the way to go. However, since the side effects were mostly reported with young people, we must first examine how significant the research data is and look into it properly."
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