Special Coverage

Israel began administering third doses to people over 60 in July, later dropping the minimum age of eligibility to 50 and offering boosters to health workers and others.

Prime Minister visits vaccination center in Tayibe, urges Arab leadership to push vaccines. Number of patients hospitalized in serious condition tops 600. Maccabi Health Services study shows booster to be "highly effective" in preventing spread of virus, including Delta strain.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute, France's Pasteur Institute, and the US National Institutes of Health have developed a novel treatment that targets a cell membrane that allows SARS-CoV-2 to enter.

Coronavirus Commissioner Professor Salman Zarka believes the current restrictions imposed on public life are insufficient to quell the outbreak fueled by the highly aggressive Delta variant.

As Israel records its highest numbers of new daily cases since February, a group of experts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who accurately predicted the current COVID wave issues grim warning if morbidity is not brought down.  

Social media users say the government has mismanagement over slow vaccinations with only 3.8 million people fully vaccinated in a population of 83 million.

"This disease constantly challenges us," health official says of newest coronavirus strain dubbed Lambda, which is said to be highly infectious but still no match to the Delta strain, which is particularly aggressive.

Although the data is still only initial and incomplete, it seems to coincide with the initial findings relating to side-effects among 12-15-year olds who have already received special authorization to vaccinate prior to others in their age group because of severe pre-existing medical conditions.