Israel's COVID morbidity rates remain high despite the success of the national vaccination campaign and the lockdown prompting a clash between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz about whether the country is ready to emerge from lockdown, set to expire on Friday morning.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The prime minister opposes the move, saying he believes that every additional day that Israelis stay indoors slows down the spread of the virus and gives the public more time to get vaccinated.
Gantz, citing data by non-governmental experts, proposed to ease the restrictions and argued that a certain decrease in morbidity has already been observed, and those restrictions are not enforced equally in all sectors.
The government is set to convene again on Wednesday to discuss possibly extending the lockdown again.
One senior government official criticized Gantz for his "incomprehensible and illogical" insistence on exiting the lockdown as early as Friday, saying "the education system doesn't work on the weekend anyway, and trade is limited. On the other hand, the population does get vaccinated [on the weekend,] so what is the use of shortening the lockdown?"
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday morning that of the 93,032 tests it administered the day before, 8,271 came back positive. The infection rate stands at 9.2%.
There are currently 71,331 active patients in the country. Some 1,855 Israelis are hospitalized, 409 are in critical condition, and 326 are on ventilators.
Israel has reported 656,016 cases and 4,863 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic. So far, 579,822 Israelis have recovered from the disease.
"Almost 5 million vaccine doses have been administered in Israel to date," said Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. "We will defeat the virus because we have the best vaccination campaign in the world; the mutations are forcing us to stay in a lockdown for a little longer.
"I know it is difficult, but it is necessary," the minister added.
The Health Ministry also reported that while the infection rate among the general public stands at 9.2%, in the ultra-Orthodox sector it's 20%, and in the Arab sector 12.1%.
While 84.9% of the general public is vaccinated, in the Haredi sector it's 66.1%, and in the Arab sector it's 60%.
The vaccination rate in the general public stands at 32%, in the ultra-Orthodox sector it's s 27%, and in the Arab sector at 18%.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
