Israel's current coronavirus infection rate stands at 5.75%, according to Health Ministry data released Monday. Of the 90,369 people who tested for the virus, Sunday, 5,001 were found to be infected with COVID-19.
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The country has 84,218 active cases of the virus. There are 677 people in serious condition, 157 of whom are on ventilators.
Although over 1,026,013 Israelis have recovered from the virus since the outbreak of the pandemic, 7,205 have succumbed to the disease.
According to a new report from the military's task force on the coronavirus, 50% of recent infections have been among Israelis aged 0 to 19, while Israelis aged 20 to 39 comprise 30% of all recent infections. The infection rate among those aged 40 to 59 stands at 15%.
In their report, task force members wrote that "alongside the optimistic signs of a certain slowing of morbidity, follow-up is necessary to see how the opening of the education system and gatherings over the holidays influence the situation and whether the trend of curbing the virus continues.
"In order to prevent a renewed uptick in serious illness and overcome the fourth wave, Israel must continue the actions taken by local authorities and the public, in particular, widespread vaccination for those eligible, mask-wearing in indoor spaces – including among the vaccinated and those who have recovered from the virus, maintaining quarantine, as well as close supervision of those returning from overseas," the task force said.
Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected to either receive a third dose of the vaccine or contract the virus in the coming weeks, the Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday. As a result, Health Ministry officials say the country will reach herd immunity as over 80% of the population will soon have some form of protection from the disease.
According to a separate Kan report, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has asked the Education Ministry to prepare to ask students to test for the virus every two weeks.
Later this month, Israel will present data from its extensive rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to the US Food and Drug Administration, which is weighing White House plans to begin a booster drive in the United States.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health at the Health Ministry, said the FDA had asked the ministry to brief its advisors at a Sept. 17 meeting to deliberate a third booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine, and possibly others.
"We have been asked to come and present Israel's experience and our data so that we can truly help the whole world to learn," Alroy-Preis told Channel 12 News.
A week ago, Israel began offering a Pfizer COVID-19 booster to people as young as 12 in a campaign that began in July among seniors.
Officials have said the effectiveness of the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine waned five months after administration, making a booster necessary. A third dose, they said, restored the level of protection of the second shot.
US President Joe Biden had been expected to launch a campaign to administer 100 million booster shots on Sept. 20. But US vaccine makers other than Pfizer have lagged in seeking authorization for an additional dose.
Over 6 million Israelis have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Over 5.5 million have received two doses, and over 2.6 million have received three.
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