• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Government Decides to Meet as Coronavirus Deaths Near 5,000

Feb 4, 2021

The Health Ministry recently released some data that showcases significant disparities regarding the rate of vaccination in various parts of Israel. The government had been all set to have a meeting, which was postponed twice in the previous day. Eventually, it was decided that all relevant government officials will get together on Thursday afternoon. They will talk about the steps that should now be taken in the fight against the novel coronavirus. 

Currently, Israel is completely under lockdown, which is supposed to expire on the morning of Friday at 7 a.m. 

Political forces that are running the government have been finding themselves at crossroads again and again. They are trying to agree on what the next steps should be as the death toll in the country steadily approaches 5,000. 

On Wednesday, around 7,385 cases of the virus were reported. Of the 85,000 tests that were conducted, 8.9% turned up positive. However, both figures marked a decrease as compared to the day before. 

Up until now, 4,947 people in the country have lost their lives to the coronavirus. 59 of these people passed away in the last 24 hours. 

The State of Israel is currently dealing with 76,896 active cases. Around 1,768 patients are in hospice whereas, 1,103 are in critical condition. Of these 1,103, 315 are intubated at the moment. 

It was previously announced that as of Thursday morning, all citizens aged over 16 will be eligible to receive the vaccine. So far, the vaccination campaign in the country has successfully administered the first dose to 3,298,233 individuals. 1,906,942 people have also been given the second dose. 

Simply put, 35% of the population of Israel has received the vaccination. On the other hand, in Haifa, Beersheba, and Tel Aviv, more than 40% of the citizens have been inoculated. However, the response has not been as positive in some other cities. Only 21% of the residents in Jerusalem have received the first dose and 15% only in Bnai Brak. 

Despite the fact that the infection rate in Israel is at an all-time high, authorities have stated that they are looking forward to reopening the country. This decision has been specifically motivated by the economic and social toll that the lockdown has been taking. 

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the Health Ministry, announced that they will try to ensure that the government is able to extend the lockdown up until midnight of Sunday. For this reason, health officials are supposed to come up with a staged plan that will indicate what will be permitted to open in red, orange, yellow, and green cities. 

In areas where the infection rate is low, the Health Ministry will lift the 1,000-m. limit come Sunday. Moreover, one-on-one services will be given permission to resume, and bed and breakfasts and national parks will be allowed to operate. 

As per the original plans of the Health Ministry, kindergarteners, preschoolers, first till fourth graders, and 11th and 12th graders will be rejoining schools from Sunday. However, this allowance has been made only for students in yellow and green cities. 

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