GOC Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin expressed concerns of a possible fourth wave of a coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday. "We expect to reach 1,000 infections a day by the end of the week. I assume we will soon implement the green pass so that we can monitor morbidity efficiently," he said.
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Gordin said Israel would soon reopen its coronavirus testing centers and called on local authority heads to appoint an official to be charged with public health to prepare for a possible outbreak.
Coronavirus Commissioner Nachman Ash, who joined the conference via Zoom, said, "We are now preparing for an increase in morbidity. I must emphasize the pandemic is not at all behind us. The event is ongoing."
According to Health Ministry data, 521 of the 80,069 people tested for the coronavirus were confirmed to be carrying the virus, Tuesday, for an infection rate of 0.7%. The reproduction rate stands at 1.42.
There are currently 3,274 active cases of the virus. There are 40 people in serious condition, 16 of whom are on ventilators.
Although 834, 332 Israelis have recovered from the virus, 6,429 have died.
On Wednesday, the coronavirus cabinet convened at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem to discuss additional restrictions to limit the virus' spread.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Health Ministry recommended several steps to rein in the outbreak of the Delta variant of the virus, including rapid testing of children and staff at summer camps and at the entrance to nursing homes and geriatric hospitals, mandatory quarantine – including for the vaccinated and those who have recovered from COVID-19 – for those who came into direct contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient, as well as for those waiting for the results of a coronavirus test upon returning from overseas.
The ministry further recommended parents of children in quarantine be required to enter quarantine with them. Additional recommendations included testing those returning to Israel from abroad three separate times for the coronavirus instead of the current two and mandatory quarantine for all those returning from high-risk countries.
In a positive development, Wednesday, Israeli biotechnology firm Bonus Biogroup reported the MesenCure cell therapy it developed has shown to significantly improve coronavirus patients' condition, preventing tissue and muscle destruction and curing pneumonia. The company
From the analysis of trials underway at Haifa's Rambam Health Care Campus, Bonus BiGroup said the therapy led to an "improvement in the health indexes indicative of an improvement in patients' health and their chances of recovery and survival from the very first treatment, as well as on the cumulative influence on … decreasing the risk of multi-system failure, heart damage, kidney damage, and embolic venous thrombosis."
According to Bonus BioGroup, each treatment reduced the level of an inflammatory protein, which when found in high concentrations is an indication of more serious disease, an almost three-fold increase in chances of dying from the disease, and an increased risk of additional health problems.
In addition, the therapy decreased the levels of the creatine kinase enzyme in patients' blood. High levels of the enzyme are indicative of serious illness and higher risks of death as well as additional health issues.
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