Three million Israelis have already received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Health Ministry reported on Monday evening.
With some 35,000 citizens getting the second jab on Monday alone, nearly a third of the country's population has already been fully vaccinated against coronavirus while an additional 15% got the first dose and are waiting for the booster shot.
The Health Ministry also reported that 3,324 new cases of COVID-19 have been detected since midnight out of some 44,000 tests, meaning 7.5% of all tests yielded a positive result — the highest such figure in days.
Israel emerged from a six-week lockdown two weeks ago, opening schools for children younger than 10 and allowing a growing list of industries to reopen.
According to the ministry, there were less than 40,000 active cases of coronavirus nationwide, 801 patients were hospitalized in serious condition and 270 of them were on ventilators.
Since the onset of the pandemic in the country, 5,593 people have died due to COVID-19-related complications.
Jerusalem is the city with the most active cases of coronavirus in Israel with 5358 patients currently battling the virus. The capital is then followed by Tel Aviv-Jaffa which has listed 1,913 active coronavirus patients, Bnei Brak with 1,225, Petah Tikva with 1,182 and Ashdod with 1,182 active coronavirus patients.
The government is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss the option of imposing a nighttime curfew during the holiday of Purim which begins on Wednesday and will last three days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers earlier on Monday that he has heard of planned parties and other crowded events scheduled for the holiday. "We must prevent those events from taking place," the prime minister said.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein added that he hoped public transportation services will be reduced and the number of people allowed on buses at one time will also remain low to discourage mass gatherings that could increase the spread of the disease.
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Elementary school students in Givatayim return to class earlier this month after six-week lockdown
(Photo: Amir Huber)
Meanwhile, ministers also discussed whether to increase the number of students allowed to return to in-person learning after the mayors of fifteen cities announced Sunday they will resume in-person classes for grades 7-10 on Wednesday in defiance of government orders.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he will demand schools reopen in areas with low morbidity and a high percentage of vaccinated residents.