The Health Ministry reported on Wednesday that 1,438 Israelis have tested positive for coronavirus out of some 61,000 testes carried out since midnight, putting the country's infection rate at 2.36%.
There were 263 coronavirus patients hospitalized across the country. The number of patients in serious condition slightly dropped to 149, 29 of them were connected to ventilators. Twenty-five patients were admitted to the hospital in serious condition compared to 44 on Tuesday.
Two patients succumbed to complications of COVID-19, bringing the national death toll to 6,462 fatalities.
Earlier Wednesday, the head of Israel's national coronavirus task force warned that in order to curb the recent surge in infections, the government would have to bring back the Green Pass mandate in its original format and start vaccinating children at schools.
The government last week voted to reinstate the Green Pass mandate, which requires people to present a certificate of vaccination or recovery upon entering public facilities, but unlike the previous times the order was implemented, this time it only applies to locations hosting over 100 people.
Prof. Ran Balicer told Ynet that bringing back the mandate in its initial format will not hurt businesses as was argued by the Finance Ministry during cabinet discussions on the matter.
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Head of Israel's national coronavirus task force Prof. Ran Balicer
(Photo: Orel Cohen)
"[Green Pass] does not restrict occupancy, it does not restrict activity. It just means that people who enter confined spaces must be vaccinated or recovered. If they have chosen not to get vaccinated, then they should do a test so they do not get infected," he said.
"This policy should be applied to all relevant businesses, not just those who host more than 100 people. An unvaccinated person can infect others even in a place that hosts 90 people."
The professor also implied he opposed Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton's policy of not introducing the vaccine drive into the education system.
"The vaccination campaign for children should also be accelerated, because they will surely be more exposed to infection when the school year begins, and it will be possible to vaccinate them in schools as well. Throughout generations, there have been vaccination campaigns in schools in Israel."
Israel started vaccinating 12-15-year-olds last month and this week HMOs were instructed to vaccinate under 12s in exceptional circumstances.
Balicer added that ensuring a safe reopening of schools on September 1 is crucial to maintaining a daily routine for the rest of the country since schools serve as hotspots for virus outbreaks.