Infections, Deaths Ravage Israel as Vaccinations Struggle to Make a Dent

Israel is quickly coming to terms with what appears to be the deadliest wave of infections since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year. On Monday, the country broke its own record for single-day cases, crossing the 10,000 mark. More than 10% of all tests were positive over the previous 24 hours, the vast majority of them among the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which has refused to abide by government restrictions. Close to 1,200 Israelis infected with the coronavirus are currently hospitalized in serious condition, and 4,050 have died since the virus reached Israeli shores, nearly 10% of them in the past week alone. Israel’s coronavirus cabinet will convene yet again Tuesday evening, to approve a 10-day extension of the complete lockdown imposed two weeks ago. It hasn’t been all bad news though. On Monday Israel also broke its own single day vaccination record, administrating nearly 190,000 Pfizer shots. Almost 2.2 million Israelis have been inoculated against the virus.