A grim milestone has been marked in Israel, where the number of people who have died due to the coronavirus pandemic has reached 8,023.
By Erin Viner
Ministry of Health data shows that 1,000 of the fatalities occurred over the past 2 months in the country with a population of 9.3 million.
So far, 1,319,518 total cases of COVID-19 have been recorded Israel, with 291 new infections in the past 24 hours. There are currently 16,995 known patients, while 1,294,500 others have recovered from the disease.
Israel launched its world-leading vaccination campaign in December 2020. Over 6.2 million citizens have been administered at least one dose, nearly 5.7 million have received 2, and at least 3.8 million have been given the 3rd booster shot.
Health Ministry officials revealed that more than 75% of the newly-infected patients in critical condition are unvaccinated.
“The campaign against the coronavirus is not over,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said yesterday, while stressing that his government is working to find “creative solutions” to keep the nation open and functioning without further lockdowns.
Speaking during a visit to Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team practice at Payis Arena in Jerusalem, the Israeli leader added, “We will do everything for the sporting world so that we will be able to have sports in the future as well, during the waves that are liable to come. We are sitting and finding the most creative solutions because sports is a joy in life; it is health and it is mental health. Sports is also employment and an economic source for many people and this is no less important than treating the coronavirus itself.”
While the vast majority of Israelis have received the Pfizer / BioNTech SE vaccine against the virus, followed by Moderna – some of the population was deemed ineligible for inoculation due to the mRNA technology of these companies.
To resolve that incompatibility, starting tomorrow Israel’s major health maintenance organizations (HMOs) will begin offering adults the option of being administered with the British-Swedish AstraZeneca vaccine.