Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Hezi Levy delivered a briefing Thursday evening ahead of Israel’s third pandemic-induced lockdown as cases spiked nationwide and warned of a slippery slope.
"We know how difficult this is, but If we won't impose the lockdown we could reach 9,000 confirmed cases a day before the middle of January, and reach 800 seriously ill patients. Now is the time to stop this, prevent this slippery slope,” Levy said.
Israel is set to go under general lockdown starting Sunday at 5 PM for at least two weeks which could be extended by further two weeks if daily COVID-19 cases do not drop under 1,000.
"We are currently in the midst of a surge in infections, with about 4,000 new patients per day and over 5% positivity rate," Levi said.
“The reproduction number [R number - the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average] also indicates a rise in infections, as it stands at 1.26, while in some sectors, this number reaches up to 1.7, There is an increase [in infections] among the ultra-Orthodox sector, but the rise in the number of infections also occurred among the general population during Hanukkah."
Levi also addressed the condition at the hospitals and the fear of overcrowding.
“At present, our hospitals are currently treating 950 patients. This figure is on the rise, the number of seriously ill patients now stands at about 500. This is a daily increase of about 70-90 serious patients. We bringing back beds that have been converted for other patients in order to allow proper care for those in need.”
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Policeman stands at a checkpoint outside Be'er Sheva during COVID-19 lockdown
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
"We won't see the effects of the vaccine just yet, we are still in the midst of a spike in infections. If we fail to lower the number of infections to about 1,000 a day and the R number to less than 1, we may ask to extend the lockdown."
Levi also said that according to data, the COVID-19 vaccines available in Israel are most likely effective against a new strain of coronavirus that was first detected in Britain made its way to Israel.
“A mutation is a normal thing, we see it all the time in viruses," the health czar said. "This is a significant mutation that caused a change in the structure of the pathogen’s protein. This means that the new virus is more contagious by about 60-70%. However, it is not more violent."
"What is most important to us all is whether the vaccine will have any effect on this new strain of the virus. According to all the studies so far, conducted by Pfizer, Moderna and others whose vaccines have not yet arrived in Israel, the vaccines do provide protection against the new virus strain."
Much like the previous lockdown that ended in mid-October, the public will be restricted from venturing more than one kilometer (0.6 miles) from home and visiting other households; trade and entertainment venues will be shuttered; restaurants will only be able to operate food deliveries; non-public facing businesses will be restricted to operate at 50% capacity; public transport will operate at 50% capacity and social gatherings will be restricted to 20 people in open spaces and 10 people indoors.
Unlike the previous two lockdowns, the education systems will remain partially open. Grades 1-4 and 11-12, alongside kindergartens, will operate in-person classes from 8am to 1pm while the special education system will continue working as usual. Parents will be able to drop their children at school and pick them up between 7am and 2pm.
Separated parents sharing custody will be able to transfer their children freely.
The Health Ministry on Thursday evening reported 5,036 new cases of coronavirus in the previous two days.
On Wednesday, health authorities detected 3,340 cases of COVID-19 out of about 88,00 tests, meaning 3.8% of all tests returned positive, and 1,696 new cases out of some 52,000 tests on Thursday, which are 3.2% of all tests.
There were 920 coronavirus patients hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, 526 of them were in serious condition with 122 patients on ventilators.
Since the onset of the pandemic, 3,170 Israelis have passed away due to coronavirus-related complications, including 22 patients on Wednesday and four more on Thursday.