Israel's infection rate stands at 7.9%, according to Health Ministry data released Thursday. The country broke its previous record for the highest number of daily infections as 11,187 of the 148,924 people who tested for the virus the previous day were found to have COVID-19.
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Israel has 90,058 active cases of the virus. There are 666 people in serious condition, 149 of whom are on ventilators.
On the inoculation front, over 5,995,700 Israelis have received at least one dose of the vaccine, over 5,494,200 have received two doses, and over 2,350,440 have received three doses.
While much has been said about the delta variant, a recently discovered variant identified in nine countries may prove to be even more infectious and vaccine-resistant.
According to a recent South African study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, the variant, known as C.1.2., has an unusually high mutation rate and may result in more severe morbidity than other variants.
Originally identified in South Africa, the variant has also been seen in Botswana, China, Congo, Britain, Mauritius, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.
Infectious disease expert Richard Lessells, one of the researchers who contributed to the study, said the discovery of the C.1.2. variant was an indication "the pandemic is far from over."
Meanwhile, in a show of appreciation to those directly involved in the ongoing war on the pandemic, the Israeli government agreed to allot 55 million shekels (around $17.2 million) in grants toward medical workers and healthcare system employees directly involved in the fight against the coronavirus. Each recipient will receive a 1,000-shekel debit card to be used for entertainment, business, and recreation purposes inside Israel.
In a statement, Bennett said the grant "expresses the gratitude of the citizens of Israel for the medical teams in Israel. The medical teams are fighting at the forefront of the campaign against the coronavirus and have been doing holy work from the moment the crisis started. From the doctors and nurses to employees of the various healthcare providers, all of them have been working together around the clock to protect the health of the citizens of Israel. On behalf of the government and citizens of Israel, I would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the teams. We will continue to fight the coronavirus and together we will win."
The move comes as medical workers at government-owned hospitals across the country protest a lack of funding during the pandemic. As part of these efforts, medical staff in operating rooms across the country were set to go on strike for two hours Monday.
With Israeli children heading back to school Wednesday, Barzilay Medical Center Director and former Health Ministry Director-General Hezi Levy said there were concerns infections would spike over the coming month.
"The return to school and the holidays could raise the infection [rate] in Israel. There won't be mass infections, but there could be an increase in morbidity. Of course, there is no need for a lockdown, but rather more caution from the public, i.e., adhering to Health Ministry restrictions on gatherings of over 50 people in closed spaces, mask-wearing, social distancing, quarantine for those exposed [to a confirmed coronavirus carrier], as well as vaccination. The state and the entire public need to boost vaccination as much as possible. That is the main thing that can help right now.
Noting there was an expectation infections would rise, Levy said: "If the public behaves according to the guidelines, then despite the return to school and the holidays, we won't see a very large outbreak."
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