Israel's infection rate stands at 3.42%, according to Health Ministry data released Wednesday. Of the 75,127 people who tested for the virus, 2,386 were found to have the disease.
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The country has 53,994 active cases of the virus. There are 659 people in serious condition, 216 of whom are on ventilators.
Although 1,213,546 people have recovered from the virus in Israel since the start of the outbreak, 7,692 have died.
Israel is poised to see additional outbreaks of the coronavirus across the country in coming weeks, officials said, as students head back to school and Israelis return from trips overseas following the Sukkot holiday.
With those who recovered from the coronavirus over six months ago or who have not received all three available doses of the coronavirus vaccine set to lose their eligibility for the green pass Oct. 3, officials expect to see an increase in Israelis looking to get the jab in the coming weeks.
In an effort to better reign in the chain of infection, the Health Ministry has developed a chatbot that can perform around 1,000 epidemiological investigations daily. With the task force prioritizing those at greater risk from the virus, including those aged 60 and over and those returning to Israel from overseas, cases involving younger members of the population were often neglected. Taskforce members often made contact with such people some 72 hours after they were found to have COVID-19.
The ministry and the IDF's Epidemiological Investigations Task Force have been using the chatbots since early September. Around 10% of all confirmed cases are now handled by the virtual investigation system. Forty percent of those who receive a WhatsApp message from the system cooperate with the investigation, officials said. The chatbot system is currently available in Hebrew and Russian and will soon be made available in Arabic.
"The rate of cooperation with the chatbot is phenomenal," a senior Health Ministry official said. "I have no doubt that this is the key to a future in which communication between the citizen and authorities is through chatbots."
Meanwhile, Pfizer has submitted research to the US Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children as it moves closer to seeking approval for expanded use of the shots.
The drugmaker and its partner, Germany's BioNTech, say they expect to request emergency use authorization of their vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 "in the coming weeks." The companies also plan to submit data to the European Medicines Agency and other regulators.
The two-shot Pfizer vaccine is currently available in Israel for those 12 and older.
Pfizer tested a lower dose of the shots in children. The drugmaker said last week that researchers found the vaccine developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels in children that were just as strong as those found in teenagers and young adults getting regular-strength doses.
Earlier this month, FDA chief Dr. Peter Marks said once Pfizer turned over its study results, his agency would evaluate the data "hopefully in a matter of weeks" to decide if the shots are safe and effective enough for younger kids.
Another US vaccine maker, Moderna, also is studying its shots in elementary school-aged children. Results are expected later in the year.
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