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Health Ministry Director General Nachman Ash said on Sunday morning that he expects daily rates of coronavirus infection to decline in the coming days, expressing cautious hope that the latest increase in the number case has been slowed down.
“I expect the effect of the vaccines to outweigh the effect of going back to school and we will see a decrease in morbidity in the next few days,” Ash said in an interview with Radio 103FM, referring to back to school on September 1st.
The Department of Health reported that 9,739 new cases of coronavirus were identified on Friday, ending a four-day period in which daily infections topped 10,000.
Another 4,975 infections were recorded on Saturday, when testing levels were much lower. In total, there were 91,356 active cases as of Sunday morning and 1,114,518 verified cases of coronavirus in Israel since the start of the pandemic.
The rate of positive tests on Friday was 6.91%, a sharp drop from 8.42% on Thursday.
Ash said on Sunday: “As we see a halt in rising disease rates, now is not the time to celebrate. We still have very high numbers.
“We are concerned about the epidemic, the high morbidity and congestion in hospitals. We are not sending an “all is well” message, he added.
Medical staff treat a patient in the coronavirus ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, August 25, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
The number of severe cases edged up over the weekend, to 679, after starting to decline in recent days from a peak of 753 in the current wave.
Meanwhile, the death toll stood at 7,154, with 17 deaths recorded on Friday and Saturday.
“Our situation is a little better and there is hope, maybe to be less worried, but we have to remain vigilant,” Ash said, echoing the comments of Minister of Health Nitzan Horovitz on Saturday evening.
Horowitz said there were “signs of optimism” as he defended the government’s response to the pandemic amid the surge in COVID cases.
“I don’t want to shut the country down – I said there wouldn’t be a lockdown and there isn’t,” he told Channel 13. “I don’t want any lockdowns. hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed and I don’t want to close schools and businesses.
“Stop with the panic. We act with consideration and responsibility. We are doing the important things to fight morbidity, but at the same time we want to keep the country open, ”Horowitz added, noting the continued impact of vaccines on the number of cases.
Israelis receive their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a Clalit clinic on September 1, 2021 in Jerusalem. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
The health ministry said on Saturday that more than 6 million Israelis had received a first injection of the coronavirus vaccine. A total of 6,011,624 people had received one dose on Sunday morning, 5,507,946 had received two injections and 2,581,893 others had received a third dose.
Ash said on sunday that he believes there are “many more who can be persuaded to get vaccinated,” saying the health ministry was making “great efforts” to contact them.
The ministry released a list of guidelines ahead of the peak Jewish holiday season on Saturday. He said synagogues with more than 50 attendants must require proof of vaccination or recovery from the “Green Pass” virus, or a valid negative test, from worshipers, even for outdoor services. Children under 12 must present a negative PCR test unless they have a Green Pass due to recovery from the virus, as they are not eligible for vaccination.
The ministry recommended praying outside. Public gatherings around the country are currently limited to 1,000 participants indoors and 5,000 outdoors.
Participants in gatherings of more than 100 people must wear face masks, the ministry said, although it recommended that the masks be worn in small gatherings as well.
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