From next week onwards, Israelis aged 45 and above will be allowed to be inoculated, as part of the coronavirus vaccination campaign being run in the country. An announcement was made to inform the citizens that they can contact their health funds to set up an appointment for the vaccination.
The two millionth vaccine in the country was administered on Thursday evening. More than 196,707 citizens from the State of Israel have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, as of Friday morning. This was reported by the Health Ministry itself.
But, even though the vaccination campaign is moving at full force, the number of patients in the country is also climbing steadily. On Friday, which was the fourth day in a row, the number of positive cases in the country was more than 9,000.
The Health Ministry further announced that they conducted nearly 123,000 tests, out of which 7.7% turned up with a positive result. As of now, around 1,141 patients are in a critical condition, whereas 291 are intubated. The death toll stands at 3,892.
Out of all the people that are sick, one is a 30-year-old woman, who is 31-weeks pregnant with her fifth child. Her condition took a turn for the worse on Friday, after which she was rushed from her home in Jerusalem to Beilinson hospital, located in Petah Tikvah. A while later, she was intubated and is considered to be in an unstable and critical condition. Doctors are debating whether or not to deliver the baby.
The Hebrew University published a report on Thursday, which showed that there is likely to be a surge in infection, inclusive of serious cases. This increasing trend will continue for the next week, after which the numbers have been predicted to fall. Currently, the ‘R’ reproduction rate is steadily declining.
Health officials are worried that the South African, Brazilian, and British mutations, which spread a lot quicker than the first strand, could lead to an alarming increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country if the economy reopens too fast after the current, third lockdown.
To ensure that the virus does not cause any more damage, the Israel Police has also been instructed to step up their game. Over the weekend, they added new checkpoints on intercity roads. Moreover, they have increased officers throughout towns and cities across the country.
On Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, and his cabinet are expected to have a meeting to begin talking about an exit strategy.
As of Friday, there were a total of 1,594 civilian employees and IDF soldiers infected with the deadly disease. Around 12,196 employees and soldiers were placed in quarantine on Thursday alone. On the other hand, more than 31,100 civilian employees and IDF soldiers have been given the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.