Police to strengthen law enforcement as coronavirus cases rise

Israel Police will step up surveillance and enforcement over the weekend to help slow the rise in coronavirus cases, they said. This will include additional checkpoints and the deployment of thousands of agents across the country – both in cities and on the country’s roads. With isolation obligations, ”police said. Boring winter weather advisories, the additional application will begin at 6 a.m. Friday and would include 25 checkpoints on intercity roads between that date and 11 p.m. At night, the checkpoints will be reduced to 12. There will also be more motorcycle and foot patrols as well as the cooperation of the police air unit, among other efforts. The increased application would only be for Friday. and Saturday, then revert to the current pattern during the week. were diagnosed with coronavirus on Wednesday, and 6,260 more between midnight and press time Thursday, according to the Healt h Ministry. Out of more than 121,000 people screened, 7.9% tested positive. Wednesday was the third day in a row with more than 9,000 new cases.

There are also an unprecedented number of people in serious condition. Of the 1,802 people in the hospital, almost all of them – 1,117 – are in serious condition, the health ministry reported, including 280 on ventilators. The number of severe patients is a peak. Prior to Thursday, the highest number of severe cases was 1,102, which the Health Department reported earlier in the week. Hospitals have had to open new units and refrain from offering elective surgeries to handle the number of cases. In addition, around 50 people died on Wednesday and 34 others died before press time Thursday, bearing the number. deaths to 3,860. More than 200 people have died from COVID-19 this week. The only positive aspect is that the reproduction rate – the “R” or the number of people infected by a sick person – has declined slightly. Israel’s vaccination had no significant effect on the spread. virus, a team of Hebrew University researchers who are advising the coronavirus cabinet reported Thursday. However, they said that “it is possible that a stabilizing trend in morbidity has started” and that the country is expected to see an improvement in daily new cases in the next week. According to the team’s forecast, the country will see a significant increase in the number of hospitalized patients in the coming days and relief only by the end of the month. The death rate has increased, according to the researchers, and the average delay has increased. death due to hospitalization in serious condition also decreased. The health ministry is expected to ask to extend the last lockdown by at least a week, in meetings supposed to take place on Sunday and for which the Hebrew U. team has prepared its report. But the researchers said no decision is expected to be made next week. On the contrary, the team said it was not possible to know for sure whether it would be necessary to extend the lockdown significantly or whether regulations will need to be tightened, and instead recommended that a decision be made. Taken that in another week, January 21, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the government and the health ministry are asking the question several times a day as to when Israel will be able to open up further and “we don’t know always not”. we will go out [the lockdown] within 10 days, ”Public Health Chief Sharon Alroy-Preis said in a briefing on Tuesday. The ministry stressed that any exit strategy will not be done all at once, but will be done in stages, starting with the opening of schools. Netanyahu has had discussions with health officials on the subject in recent days, including how and when to launch the Green Passport, which could further open up the economy. “I have had several talks with the Minister of Health and other professionals to bring in the green passport. Plan is coming to fruition as soon as possible, which will allow us to start bringing life back to normal,” Netanyahu said. “Even when we do, we will have to continue to wear masks for the younger population and those who are not vaccinated.” On Thursday evening, he and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein traveled to Ramle to celebrate the vaccination of two millionth citizens of Israel, a 22-year-old kindergarten assistant, with her first dose of vaccine. At press time, over 153,000 ha have taken two doses and are expected to be immune to the virus within a week. “Every hour or two I get a call from leaders of countries around the world,” Netanyahu said, “and they are just asking for help.” He said: “Israel has become the world champion in vaccines, but we also have good friends and I told them we would help as much as we can.” More vaccines are on their way from Pfizer, Netanyahu said. Another large shipment is expected to hit the country on Sunday and more each week thereafter, with the goal of vaccinating around 200,000 people per day with their first or second dose. By the end of March, Israel is expected to have twice vaccinated more than five million people. Ministry health officials and health funds said that by next week, Israelis aged 40 or 45 should be able to make an appointment to be vaccinated. The combination of people vaccinated and the fear of British and South African mutations, which spread the virus even faster, complicate the Department of Health’s calculations on when to quit. Alroy-Preis said earlier in the week that the ministry would not only look at the total number of new cases every day, but whether there was a drop in severe cases, which means when the elderly and those at high risk were receiving their second dose, the economy might be able to open up even if the virus spreads. However, she said the reproduction rate should be one or less. Sheba Medical Center reported identifying four additional cases in the South. African variant. So far, eight cases have been discovered in the country and the health ministry is now promoting a recommendation for Israelis returning to the country from Brazil to self-isolate in coronavirus hotels after the discovery of what is believed to be a new mutation of Brazilian coronavirus. The recommendation is subject to cabinet approval. “We must act to prevent the entry and spread of variants in Israel,” the health ministry said. The recommendation came after the variant was detected in Japan among travelers from Brazil. The ministry said Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine appears to be effective against this variant, as it is against British and South African mutations.