[ad_1]
All Israelis over 45 will be eligible to receive the first COVID-19 vaccine through their health care providers starting Sunday as Israel’s vaccination campaign continues to expand, announced on Friday. Ministry of Health.
On Thursday, 56,716 Israelis received their first vaccination, for a total of 1,992,806, and a further 64,366 received their second injection, reaching 169,707 – by far the highest vaccination rate in the world, according to the Our website. World In Data.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed last week that Israel would step up its vaccination campaign even further, reaching a goal of delivering 170,000 injections per day, as a new batch of hundreds of thousands of doses of Pfizer vaccine landed there. Ben-Gurion airport.
Receive the daily edition of The Times of Israel by email and never miss our best articles Sign up for free
By the end of March, Israel will have vaccinated 5.2 million citizens against the coronavirus, according to a plan drawn up by the Ministry of Health.
A graph showing the top countries in COVID-19 vaccinations administered per capita, according to the Our World In Data website, January 15, 2021. (Screenshot)
Coinciding with the launch of the vaccination campaign has been an increase in coronavirus cases, with more than 9,000 new infections per day diagnosed in recent days.
There has also been a sharp increase in deaths and in the number of critically ill patients following complications from COVID-19.
Updated figures released Friday morning by the health ministry show that 9,192 new cases were confirmed the day before – the fourth in a row with more than 9,000 cases. However, the rate of positive tests, 7.7 percent, was about half of the record set in September. The number of daily tests has increased significantly and stood at 123,111 on Thursday.
The first figures on Friday showed a similar positivity rate of 7.2% – 1,807 cases out of 25,230 tests carried out at 10 a.m.
The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic, which topped half a million on Monday, has reached 533,026, including 79,084 active cases – a new all-time high. Among them, 1,141 people were in serious condition, including 351 listed as critical and 291 on ventilators.
The death toll climbed to 3,892, an increase of 49 since Thursday morning.
Temporary police roadblock on Route 1 outside Jerusalem on January 15, 2021, during a third full nationwide lockdown, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Due to high morbidity and mortality figures, the government last week tightened lockdowns that went into effect a week earlier, ordering the closure of schools and businesses.
Netanyahu urged Israelis to adhere to government-imposed virus restrictions and said no decision has yet been made on extending the third nationwide lockdown, which health officials said it would last beyond the original end date of January 21.
Police prepared to significantly expand enforcement of the lockdown over the weekend, setting up checkpoints that will operate around the clock.
Police said dozens of checkpoints had been set up along main roads, as well as in towns and villages. The increased enforcement measures began at 6 a.m. on Friday.
[ad_2]
Source link