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Health ministry director general Nachman Ash said on Friday that Israel was apparently nearing the end of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 virus that began in late June.
“I believe we are on the way to a real downturn [in infection], but we’ll see it in the next few days, ”Ash told Radio 103FM. “I believe the fourth wave is coming to an end.”
However, he noted that with schools reopening after a break for Jewish holidays, infection rates could rise again. “It is difficult to predict, and it is certainly one of our concerns for the next few weeks,” he said.
Government figures on Friday put the virus’s baseline reproduction rate, which measures transmission, at 0.72. Any number greater than 1 indicates infections are increasing, while a number below this level indicates an epidemic is decreasing.
As of Friday, 607 patients were listed in serious condition, the lowest number observed since the end of August.
The director general of the Minister of Health, Nachman Ash, attends a press conference on the coronavirus, in Jerusalem on August 29, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
The death toll since the start of the pandemic has risen to 7,761, with nine new deaths from COVID-19 recorded on Thursday.
At the same time, figures from the ministry showed that 4,313 new infections were diagnosed as of Thursday, continuing a slow downward trend. The test positivity rate was also down, at 3.81%.
Nearly two million Israelis will lose their Green Pass on Sunday, most of them because they were not vaccinated with a COVID-19 booster. At the same time, the police will step up the application of the proof of vaccination document during rallies in cities with high infection rates.
The Green Pass policy change came as health officials identified COVID antibodies to decline several months after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
Israel – the first country to officially offer a third dose – began its COVID-19 recall campaign on August 1, initially rolling it out to people over 60. He then gradually lowered the age of eligibility, eventually extending it to anyone over the age of 12. and more who received the second injection at least five months ago.
A man receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary Clalit Health Services facility in Jerusalem on September 30, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
The pass is only valid for a week after receiving the last required dose, and for six months after. The document, held by those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, allows access to many public places and events, including restaurants and museums.
On Thursday, some 78,000 Israelis received a booster shot, the highest daily rate since early September. But with the change from Sunday, they won’t have their Green Pass until Thursday next week.
A temporary Green Pass can also be obtained through a negative virus test, which must be paid for unless the person is not eligible for vaccination.
A woman shows off her “Green Pass” as she arrives at a theater in Jerusalem on February 23, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
In addition, until October 16, recovered people can only receive a Green Pass, valid for six months from receiving official confirmation of their recovery from COVID-19, public broadcaster Kan reported.
From October 17, those who have recovered from the virus, on the basis of a PCR or a serological test, and then received a dose of vaccine, will keep their Green Pass until March 31, 2022. Then, the health ministry will reconsider these cases, he mentioned.
Recovered patients who have received at least two doses of the vaccine are eligible to receive a Green Pass which will be valid for six months from receipt of official confirmation of their recovery from COVID-19.
Children up to the age of 12 years and three months, who are not eligible for a vaccine at this point, and who have been officially confirmed to be recovering from COVID-19 are eligible for a Green Pass which will be valid for six months from the date of certification.
Previously, all retrieved people were eligible.
According to ministry data released on Friday, more than 6 million Israelis have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, 5.6 million have received two doses and 3.4 million have also received a booster.
With some 1.9 million Israelis losing access to the Green Pass, hundreds of police will enforce the guidelines in various public places, starting with places with the highest infection rates, Channel 12 News reported. .
The network said agents would check whether business owners and event organizers scan attendees’ Green Pass QR codes, rather than attendees simply displaying the certification.
Police officers enforce COVID-19 regulations in Jerusalem, August 11, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
Previously, the QR code did not need to be scanned. From Sunday, each time a Green Pass is presented, it must be scanned and an ID must be presented alongside.
The high-level coronavirus cabinet will also meet on Sunday for the first time in a month, after a public row between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and health officials.
During a briefing with Israeli journalists in New York, Bennett accused medical experts advising the government of “not getting the big picture” and stressed that they don’t make the final decisions – the government does. .
Prime Minister Prime Minister Naftali Bennet (right) and Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz attend a press conference at a Maccabi vaccination center in Holon, June 29, 2021 (Marc Israel Sellem / Pool / Flash90)
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz called the comments “unnecessary and unfortunate,” while Ash said the words were unexpected and “unpleasant.”
Bennett met with senior health officials on Thursday and they released a joint message that appeared to mark the end of the feud. Public broadcaster Kan reported on Friday that the parties had agreed to release future information regarding the COVID policy also in joint statements.
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