Israel recorded over 1,000 new coronavirus cases over 24 hours on Friday, the Health Ministry reported. The number of new cases confirmed on Friday was 1,118, the first time that there have been that many cases since May. As of Friday, there were 58 active cases of the virus classified as serious.
The coronavirus cabinet has ordered tightened restrictions in recent days, including strict enforcement of mask wearing indoors, stricter quarantine restrictions for Israelis returning after travel abroad and the reintroduction of a Green Pass for entry into venues and events.
Some 430 new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Saturday; weekends traditionally have fewer test results. The results on Saturday showed a 1.47% positive result. As of Saturday, there were 63 patients listed in serious condition, with 16 on respirators.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a at a situational assessment at the Kirya, the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, on Friday.
“At the moment, there is an idea that is spreading to the effect that the protective ability of the existing vaccines against the Delta mutation is weaker than what we had hoped. We do not know exactly to what degree the vaccine helps, but it is significantly less. We are all hoping to see a slowdown but the facts at the moment are that there is no slowdown, not here and not in the world,” Bennett said at the meeting. “Whoever hoped that the vaccines alone would solve the problem, they are not. What is necessary is a strategy that brings as many vaccines as possible on the one hand and, on the other, also understands the limits of the vaccines.”