Despite the latest outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant, the Health Ministry had reported no coronavirus deaths for over two weeks until it recorded two deaths in a matter of hours on Thursday.
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The first victim, an 86-year-old man who had received both doses of the vaccine, died of COVID at Rambam hospital in Haifa. His wife, 70, is also infected and is hospitalized in moderate-serious condition.
The second victim, a 48-year-old man, passed away at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. He was not vaccinated and did not have any chronic health issues, except for high blood pressure.
There are currently 3,691 active cases in Israel, with 70 patients hospitalized, of whom 37 are in serious condition. Of the 71,261 Israelis that were screened for the virus over the past 24 hours, 450 (0.7%) tested positive. Israel has reported 834,998 cases, including 6,434 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
According to ministry data, of the active cases, 46 returned from abroad over the last 10 days. Thirty-four of them were fully vaccinated, and five had recovered from COVID.
Israel's nursing homes recorded 17 new cases, including seven staff members. The IDF reported 44 new cases, with 323 people in self-isolation.
There are currently two "red," seven "orange," and 33 "yellow" cities in Israel. Under the ministry's "stoplight" ranking, each designation carries different restrictions on public life, particularly public gatherings in closed spaces.
Meanwhile, Friday and Saturday mark the last two days for Israelis to get vaccinated with both doses of the vaccine. Israel's current vaccination supply expires in late July, therefore anyone wishing to get immunized without waiting for the next shipment, scheduled to arrive in September, must do so in the next two days.
Healthcare providers have already blocked the option of scheduling vaccination appointments after July 11, except for Israelis who recovered from COVID who only need one dose or for individuals who need to receive their second dose. In August, Israel will begin using Moderna vaccines, but those are only allowed for individuals over the age of 18.
Thus far, 5,189,094 Israelis have been fully immunized, while 5,712,644 received their first jab. As for Israelis under the age of 12, more than 166,000 have already been vaccinated. Another 15,000 have scheduled an appointment to be immunized. Throughout the past week, healthcare professionals continued to call on parents, children and those not yet inoculated to get vaccinated.
The coronavirus is continuing to wreak havoc across the world as well. The average global daily mortality rate is 8,000 deaths. The United States has reported the most COVID deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic (622,213 cases), followed by Brazil (530,344) and India (405,967).
To lower the global mortality rate, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has asked the American Food and Drug Administration for approval to administer a third dose of the vaccine.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Friday that the government will deliberate on Sunday whether to appoint a team to examine the feasibility of establishing a vaccine production factory in Israel.
The team would be tasked with exploring the matter and consulting with professionals on the most efficient way to establish such a facility. It would be headed by Finance Ministry Accountant-General Yahli Rotenberg and include representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, the Budgets Department, the National Economic Council and the Health Ministry.
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