Coronavirus deaths and the number of seriously ill patients doubled in Israel in a week, according to Health Ministry data published on Friday morning.

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The reproduction rate, which relates to the number of people each confirmed carrier infects, stands at 1.96. Any value above 1 shows that the transmission rate is growing.

Of the 206,704 Israelis who were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 16,830 (8.22%) tested positive. There are 86,071 active cases in the country with 338 patients hospitalized. Of those, 143 are in serious condition.

Thus far, 4,309,141 Israelis have been vaccinated with the third dose, 5,955,873 got two shots and 6,613,437 received one jab. Over 195,999 Israelis were immunized with the fourth dose since the launch of the campaign five days ago.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said on Thursday that Pfizer's oral coronavirus pills were not a "game-changer."

"We estimate that it will prevent several hundred serious illnesses," he said, speaking to medical students at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan.

"Many cannot take them because of pregnancy, kidney failure, and other [restrictions]. Another challenge is to identify patients at risk. There is also a logistical complexity to bring the poll to the patient's home on time and monitor the response," he explained.

The first shipment of the Pfizer pills landed in Israel on Dec. 30, one of the first countries in the world to receive the new drug. The Health Ministry granted emergency approval to the medication after the US Federal Drug Administration did the same.

In related news, Coronavirus Commissioner Professor Zarka said in an interview on Friday the ministry predicted 2,500 critically ill patients to be hospitalized with COVID during the Omicron wave.

"Omicron is not yet thought to cause serious illness, but it is too early to celebrate," he said. "Some scenarios predict 4,000 patients in critical condition. But the most likely scenario is 2,500."

Zarka assured the healthcare system would be able to handle such a caseload, but "it needs more oxygen."

In the meantime, the health and education ministries announced on Thursday a new educational outline to take effect next week, pending approval by the government and the Knesset's Education Committee.

The new outline essentially cancels the previous "traffic light" system that determined whether students studied online or in class based on the coronavirus infection rate in the city. It will also scrape the previously necessary 70% of vaccinated students for the class to study face-to-face.
When coming into contact with a confirmed coronavirus carrier, students and teachers will be subject to the same testing and quarantine rules as the rest of the country.

If a teacher or student tests positive for COVID, others who are vaccinated or recovered from the virus (as per Health Ministry definitions) will have to take an at-home antigen test. If the results come back positive, the person will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, to be exited with a doctor's approval.

Non-vaccinated students will have to take a supervised antigen test. If negative, they will be required to quarantine for seven days and take another supervised antigen test at the end of the week. If positive, they will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, to be exited with a doctor's approval.

Teachers will continue to be required to present "green pass" vaccination certificates. Indoor mask mandates will also remain intact.

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Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash approved on Friday a fourth coronavirus vaccination shot to residents of assisted living facilities citing their vulnerability to infections. Doses will also be available for nursing home staff who also wish to get innoculated.

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Already on Thursday, Ash gave the green light to a fourth jab to begin administering the fourth jab to the immunocompromised, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients.

With time, "the effectiveness of the booster decreases. We have seen that there is a difference [in antibodies] in a vaccine that was administered recently or fourth months ago. Therefore, I have approved the fourth jab for the immunocompromised due to concerns that they are more vulnerable to the Omicron outbreak," Ash said.

Last week, an advisory panel recommended the fourth jab for Israelis over the age of 60, those with preexisting conditions, and healthcare and nursing home workers. And although Ash accepted the experts' recommendation only partially he said if the Health Ministry sees "signs showing severe illness is expected to rise among the older populations," then the rollout will be expanded."

Nevertheless, in the meantime, "given the gaps of knowledge that exist around the world regarding the efficiency of a fourth dose in the current circumstances, we are acting cautiously and responsibly," Ash said.

The health chief spoke at a special press conference on Thursday that was also attended by Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, Director of Public Health Services at the Health Ministry Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss, and Coronavirus Commissioner Salman Zarka.

The press conference took place against the backdrop of a steady increase in the COVID infection rate in recent days, with the senior health experts announcing new restrictions on public life.

According to Ash, the number of participants in outdoor gatherings will not be limited, for now, however, a recommendation has been made to limit outdoor gatherings of over 100 people only to vaccinated Israelis, pending approval. Mask will also be mandated outdoors in outdoor gatherings of over 50 people.

According to Ash, "the healthcare system needs to prepare for the wave of [Omicron] morbidity. We are strengthening the hospitals, as we did in previous waves. Back then, the system dealt with a high number of hospitalized and patients on ventilators, and as such, it must be prepared this time."

Preliminary data on Omicron infections are milder than those caused by other variants, however, the surges have already started stretching Israel's healthcare system, with hospitals filled up with patients suffering from complications of the seasonal flu.

Over four million Israelis have received the third vaccine shot since the beginning of the booster campaign in August.

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Three million Israelis, a third of the population, have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the Health Ministry reported on Monday. Some 35,000 Israelis received the first dose of the vaccination within the last two days. A similar number received their second jabs too.

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The ministry also reported that of the 44,288 Israelis tests on Sunday, 3,324 were positive for COVID-19. Some 1,303 Israelis are currently hospitalized, 313 are in critical condition, and 256 of them are on ventilators.

Thirteen Israelis died of the coronavirus on Monday, the lowest number recorded in over a month, as January saw an average of 45 COVID deaths per day. The decrease in the morbidity rate brought much-awaited relief to the healthcare system.

Israel reported 757,150 cases and 5,604 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.

Meanwhile, ministry officials are concerned that celebrations on Purim, a holiday known for its large gatherings, might set back its efforts to curb the pandemic and leave the ministry no choice but to close educational institutions mere days after they resumed operations after a six-week look.

"If there is an increase in the morbidity on Purim, we will need to close the doors," Coronavirus Commissioner Professor Nachman Ash said in an interview with local radio station 103FM.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein expressed similar concerns.

"The good news is that more than 70% of Israelis over the age of 16 have been vaccinated. However, I am much less enthusiastic about the upcoming mass gatherings. We will therefore work to impose a curfew and decrease public transformation over Purim," the minister said.

The government is set to convene later on Tuesday to rule whether to impose such a curfew.

Meanwhile, the government ruled that Israelis who return from abroad will no longer need to quarantine in state-run hotels. Instead, they will be required to do so at home.

"We are trying to promote the solution that everybody [every Israeli who returns from abroad] should be sent to state-hotels after testing negative for the virus at Be Gurion Airport and be sent home with a electronic bracelet," Edelstein said, referring to the measures that enable the ministry to keep tabs on those in quarentine.

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