Against the backdrop of an increase in coronavirus morbidity, the government decided Wednesday to boost vaccinations, specifically among the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.
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In a meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and the heads of Israeli health funds, officials decided to incentivize Israelis over the age of 60 to get their fourth shot of the vaccine with 100 shekels ($31).
The government also agreed on keeping the indoor mask mandate, which was supposed to end on April 1, in place until at least May 1.
Health experts also presented Bennett and Horowitz with a plan for dealing with a potential new COVID variant arriving in Israel. Measures include, among other things, canceling air travel and sealing the country's borders. No serious restrictions on the public are expected to be imposed at this time.
The IDF Military Intelligence Directorate has attributed the increase in the infection to the spread of the BA.2 variant, also known as "stealth Omicron," in the country and globally; the decline in the number of antibodies in individuals who have recovered from COVID some time ago; and a general decrease in the public's meticulousness with health guidelines, such as mask-wearing and social distancing.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported that on Friday morning that of the 66,986 Israelis it screened for COVID in the past 24 hours, 12,003 (17.92%) tested positive.
There are 67,026 active cases in the country with 753 patients hospitalized. Of those, 300 are in serious condition.
Thus far, 746,805 Israelis have been vaccinated with four shots, 4,473,250 with three, 6,127,207 with two, and 6,702,033 have received one shot.
Israel has reported 3,831,473 COVID cases, including 10,460 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
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