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Omicron 'sub-variant' throws up new virus questions

UK Health Security Agency identifies more than 400 cases of the latest COVID sub-strain, dubbed BA.2, which has been detected in some 40 other countries, with a sharp rise being recorded in India and Demark

AFP , 10:00, 01.23.22

Israeli hospitals experience surge of seriously ill COVID patients

Since midnight 116 people were added to tally of coronavirus patients in serious condition - now numbering 638; nearly 10,000 medical staffers either ill or quarantined, challenging ability of health system to provide care

Yaron Druckman, Adir Yanko , 18:01, 01.21.22

Israel to drop compulsory COVID isolation in schools, Bennett says

PM says every child will have to get tested biweekly using home test kits provided by the state starting next Thursday, giving students a much-needed learning continuum

Moran Azulay, Tamar Trabelsi-Haddad, Itamar Eichner , 21:08, 01.20.22

Israel approves COVID-19 booster for at-risk children aged 5–11

Booster shot authorization comes against backdrop of low vaccine takeup among children, as only 14% of the 5–11 age group have been vaccinated with two doses, while 19% received just one dose

Adir Yanko , 17:14, 01.20.22

Israeli experts say Green Pass 'irrelevant' against Omicron, must be scrapped

Health officials advising cabinet say COVID strain infects vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, while others think Israel shouldn't remove all pandemic curbs; Health Ministry considers the move but concerned it would be reckless

Nina Fox, Adir Yanko , 15:07, 01.20.22

Thousands of Israelis who recovered from COVID reinfected with Omicron, ministry says

Since start of highly transmittable wave, up to 12% of daily cases found in population already infected, mostly in their 20s and 30s who had not received the coronavirus vaccine

Yaron Druckman, Nina Fox , 08:28, 01.20.22

Israel mulling scrapping Green Pass, health minister says

Nitzan Horowitz says though removal of mandate currently 'not on agenda,' but his ministry will review and adjust it according to developments of Omicron-driven infection wave; 'Reality of this pandemic changes constantly,' he says

Adir Yanko , 18:10, 01.19.22

Israel logs over 200,000 COVID cases in 3 days, 2 million since start of pandemic

Health Ministry says 72,120 new infections were diagnosed on Tuesday; 533 patients are in severe condition, an increase of 35 from a day earlier; 46,204 schoolchildren are currently classified as active patients

Ynet , 16:56, 01.19.22

CDC urges citizens to avoid travel to Israel over COVID

U.S. public health agency lists Israel at very high risk due to Omicron spread and record number of daily COVID cases; advises vaccinated and unvaccinated alike to avoid Jewish state alongside Gaza and West Bank

Ynet, i24NEWS , 16:11, 01.19.22

Health czar reports over 70,000 new virus cases, but number could be much higher

Prof. Nachman Ash says he believes real daily tally could be as high as 200,000, as Health Ministry's reporting system down for the third day running; severe cases up to 526

Adir Yanko , 12:39, 01.19.22

Israel logs over 65,000 single-day COVID cases amid Omicron rampage

After 2 days with no updated tally, Health Ministry says on Monday 65,229 people had tested positive, while on Sunday some 62,610 Israelis had been confirmed as carriers; since start of January, 532,777 have tested positive for coronavirus

Ynet , 22:01, 01.18.22

Liberman joins call to scrap Green Pass as rapid Omicron spread renders it obsolete

Finance minister says 'there is no medical or epidemiological logic behind the Green Pass' as the elusive variant fuels tsunami of infections nationwide that does not spare the vaccinated

Moran Azulay , 17:45, 01.18.22

Israel to distribute free COVID rapid testing kits amid Omicron onslaught

Government to distribute some 2.5 million antigen tests to geriatric hospitals, as well as some 450,000 kits to needy families under Welfare Ministry's care, and 25,000 seniors; ministers also mull distribution of tests to essential workers

Itamar Eichner, Adir Yanko , 15:54, 01.18.22

Israel logs nearly 500 severe COVID cases, fails to report single-day total

Health Ministry says it has not released updated tally of new coronavirus cases for 3rd consecutive day due to computer systems being unable to process surging amounts of infections; 100 patients on ventilators, indicating 10% spike

Yaron Druckman, Adir Yanko , 15:32, 01.18.22

Israel sticks with 4th vaccine shot, sees Omicron waning in a week

Health Ministry DG says jab not enough to fend off variant amid nationwide surge in overall COVID cases, but prevents serious illness; Israel ranks 2nd in per capita in singe-day cases tally, expert says

Reuters, Ynet , 10:43, 01.18.22

Fourth COVID shot offers limited protection against Omicron, Israeli study finds

Preliminary results show that after receiving the shot, participants developed higher coronavirus antibody levels, which were only partly effective in preventing Omicron infections

Adir Yanko , 21:53, 01.17.22

Bennett okays cutting quarantine for asymptomatic COVID cases to 5 days

Despite criticism from various health experts, PM and health officials agree to further shorten quarantine period as tsunami of coronavirus infections disrupts daily life in Israel

Itamar Eichner , 17:27, 01.17.22

Senior health officials slam Israel's plan to cut COVID quarantine to 5 days

Infectious disease expert Prof. Galia Rahav says people infected by COVID can still spread disease 5 days after exposure; Prof. Doron Gazit, who advises cabinet, says infections will increase by 30% if quarantine days cut

Adir Yanko , 15:15, 01.17.22

Israeli hospitals on verge of collapse amid dramatic leap in seriously ill

Assuta Ashdod Medical Center says it had to close entry to ER due to COVID patient overload, while other hospitals report they had to open additional COVID wards; various hospitals say hospitalization period is much shorter compared to previous waves

Adir Yanko , 11:55, 01.17.22

Israel logs largest leap in seriously ill COVID patients since September

Health Ministry says there are some 259,000 active COVID patients in Israel, as death tally reaches 8,319 after 13 Israelis die over weekend; infection rate now stands at 9.5%, while virus' reproduction number at 1.59

Yaron Drukman, Adir Yanko , 23:04, 01.16.22

Israel considers shorter quarantine as 200,000 schoolchildren and staff isolate

As Education Ministry presented data, ministers call for government to consider harm to children and the economy under current isolation regulations; expert to deliberate reducing isolation period from seven to five days

Itamar Eichner, Tamar Trabelsi Hadad, Ran Boker , 19:05, 01.16.22

More than 20,000 new COVID cases confirmed since midnight, ministry says

There are currently 287 people in serious condition, 89 of them as of Thursday, and 69 on ventilators; death toll reaches 8,293 after 41 die since the beginning of the month; Most positive test results found in Ultra-Orthodox communities

Yaron Druckman , 21:15, 01.13.22

Bennett tells hospital chiefs to prepare for mass infection wave

Israel admits fewer children suffering from COVID to hospitals compared to other countries as emergency rooms provide initial treatment and HMOs supervise care at home; coronavirus czar says no need for restrictions at this stage of pandemic but does not rule out lockdown, later

Adir Yanko , 20:59, 01.13.22

Education minister, health officials butt heads over bungled school vaccination push

Shasha-Biton accuses ministry of neglecting to allocate sufficient resources to campaign, which saw just over 56,000 schoolchildren getting their COVID shots; Health Ministry retorts campaign has been postponed for weeks due to her opposition

Attila Somfalvi , Alexandra Lukash , 13:31, 01.13.22

Israel sees nearly 50,000 new coronavirus cases as infections continue to surge

Health Ministry says infection rate now stands at 11.97%, while number of hospitalized COVID patients continues to climb; seriously ill rises to 283, marking a new record high since mid-October

Ynet , 11:44, 01.13.22

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