Coronavirus Outbreak

"We're about to see massive transmission, more than anything we've known," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says.

Outraged father demands "Nazi teachers stop murdering children" with COVID vaccines. Number of seriously ill COVID patients on the decline amid Omicron fears.

The prime minister will remain in quarantine until he receives a negative PCR test, while his daughter will enter self-isolation until she is no longer considered a carrier of the virus. 

Health Ministry reports 1,118 cases of the new variant. A shipment of one million Moderna vaccines arrive in country. Experts recommend to reinstate the self-isolation exemption for triply-vaccinated Israelis if they come into contact with an Omicron carrier.

PM Naftali Bennett orders the purchase of 50 million more antigen tests and urges hospitals to conduct equipment assessments. PM also mandates rapid COVID tests at entrances to nursery homes after outbreak reported in elderly care home. Omicron cases triple in just four days as Health Ministry reports 1,118 confirmed cases of the variant.

Over 1,000 Israelis test positive for the coronavirus for five consecutive days. FDA approves a second pill against COVID, providing another easy-to-use medication to battle the rising tide of Omicron infections.

FDA approves Pfizer's coronavirus pill. Two British studies suggest Omicron variant might be milder than the Delta strain. In Israel, reproduction rate continues to increase as 1,400 people test positive for the virus.

COVID infection rate slightly down as 903 Israelis test positive for the virus. Noticable drop in new coronavirus cases reported in South Africa, where the Omicron strain was first detected.

US health officials predict 2021 will see at least 15,000 more COVID deaths than 2020, the most lethal in US history to date.

Health Ministry task force recommends fourth shot for people age 60 and over, healthcare workers, as government decides on a series of restrictions to battle Omicron wave.