The IDF Military Intelligence Directorate warned this week that the opening of the school year was bound to lead to an increase in the coronavirus infection rate.
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"There is a reasonable possibility that despite the extensive third vaccine campaign, the increase in the number of verified cases will continue to increase," it said, "which would, in turn, lead to a rise in serious cases, further burdening the healthcare system."
The task force called on the government to reassess its plans for the 2021-2022 school year based on the coronavirus situation throughout September and prepare to decrease educational activities significantly.
They further stressed that while an "artificial" increase might soon occur in the number of daily cases – due to the mass testing by parents of their children ahead of the school year – a more accurate reflection of the effects of the school year on morbidity will be known in several more weeks.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported that 526 Israelis succumbed to the coronavirus in August 2021 alone. Altogether since the outbreak of the pandemic, 7,043 Israelis have died of COVID.
Of the 145,868 Israelis the ministry screened for the virus on Tuesday, 10,947 (7.65%) tested positive. There are 83,542 active cases in the country, with 1,122 Israelis hospitalized. Of those, 217 are in critical condition and 172 on ventilators.
Israel has reported 1,066,352 cases since the epidemic began. Thus far, 5,974,921 Israelis have been partially vaccinated, 5,482,062 have received both doses, and 2,157,299 got their third jabs.
Meanwhile, the school year – which began on Wednesday – did not get off to a good start. On the first day of studies, a teacher at Shamir Elementary School in Holon tested positive for the coronavirus.
At 10 a.m., the school contacted the parents, asking them to pick up their children and self-isolate for 10 days. They will be joining the 55,390 students already in quarantine.
Based on reports, the teacher took a COVID test two days before the opening of the school year, and when he did not receive his results, he took a rapid COVID test that came back positive.
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