Coronavirus Outbreak

Head of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Elrai-Price says there is no indication that the mutated strain of COVID-19 has arrived in Israel; Health Ministry closely monitoring the situation. Health Minister Edelstein: We're in the midst of a third outbreak.

Netanyahu convenes "coronavirus cabinet" to discuss stopping air travel after UK discovers mutated virus strain. Meanwhile, Israelis aged 60 and over line up at medical clinics across the country to receive Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.

As companies race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and countries scramble to secure doses, questions about the use of pork products raise concerns immunization campaigns may be disrupted. Spokespeople for Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca say their vaccines do not include pork products.

At the request of Justice Ministry, Facebook takes down four groups that disseminated texts, photographs, and videos with "deliberately mendacious content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines."

Ministers blacklist arrivals from Britain, Denmark and South Africa due to newly discovered, highly infectious coronavirus variant. Israel may ban all tourists.

Several Haredi localities declared "red" zones after a spike in infection rates. Survey by the Israel Medical Association finds over 82% of doctors plan to get the vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, and other senior healthcare officials roll up their sleeves to show the public that they have trust in Pfizer's coronavirus vaccination.

UK medical chief says new COVID-19 strain spreads more quickly, as much of the country, including London, now under a three-tier system of restrictions. Several nations around the world, including Israel, begin vaccinating against the virus.

The government is planning to impose stricter restrictions as the Health Ministry reports over 2,800 new coronavirus infections for the third day.