The spread of the contagious Delta variant has led to a four-month peak in daily coronavirus infections in Israel, with more than 800 cases reported by the Health Ministry Friday.

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As of Friday morning, there were 5,817 active cases in Israel, with 99 patients hospitalized. Of those,18 were in critical condition and 17 were on ventilators.

Of the 56,624 Israelis that were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 855 (1.52%) tested positive. Israel has reported 837,394, including 6,443 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The ministry also recorded "a sharp increase in the number of patients in serious condition due to the spread of the delta strain." The number of seriously ill patients went from 25 cases just two weeks ago to 52 cases reported on Friday. Similarly, the number of active cases went from an average of 3,700 last week to 5,800 this week.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced he would be convening an emergency meeting with top health, defense and transportation officials at 2 p.m. on Friday to discuss the alarming spike in morbidity.

On Thursday, the government instituted a so-called "happy pass," slated to come into effect on July 21, that would allow fully immunized Israelis, as well as those who recovered from COVID or present a negative test, to attend weddings and other large indoor events.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is hoping to grant emergency authorization for vaccines for children under the age of 12 by midwinter, an FDA official told NBC on Friday.

According to the official, the FDA needed a few more months of safety follow-up data. By giving the kids' innoculations the green light, the organization was hoping to bring relief to many parents who have been unable to vaccinate their children.

Professor Galia Rahav, head of Sheba Medical Center's Infectious Disease Unit, welcomed the move.

"It's impossible to achieve herd immunity without vaccinating the children. Once the FDA gives its approval, we will support the move as well," she said.

"At least 85% of the population must get vaccinated to achieve her immunity, and we know now that the younger the person is, the more effective the inoculation. The question is what the side effects on children might be. Pfizer is conducting a trial now to check the vaccine's safety. Initial results show that it is safe."

Professor Ronit Calderon-Margalit from Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine also spoke out in favor of vaccinating children under the age of 12, but cautioned not to rush the process.

"If we want to reach heard immunity, then this is the way to go. However, since the side effects were mostly reported with young people, we must first examine how significant the research data is and look into it properly."

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Despite the latest outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant, the Health Ministry had reported no coronavirus deaths for over two weeks until it recorded two deaths in a matter of hours on Thursday.

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The first victim, an 86-year-old man who had received both doses of the vaccine, died of COVID at Rambam hospital in Haifa. His wife, 70, is also infected and is hospitalized in moderate-serious condition.

The second victim, a 48-year-old man, passed away at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. He was not vaccinated and did not have any chronic health issues, except for high blood pressure.

There are currently 3,691 active cases in Israel, with 70 patients hospitalized, of whom 37 are in serious condition. Of the 71,261 Israelis that were screened for the virus over the past 24 hours, 450 (0.7%) tested positive. Israel has reported 834,998 cases, including 6,434 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

According to ministry data, of the active cases, 46 returned from abroad over the last 10 days. Thirty-four of them were fully vaccinated, and five had recovered from COVID.

Israel's nursing homes recorded 17 new cases, including seven staff members. The IDF reported 44 new cases, with 323 people in self-isolation.

There are currently two "red," seven "orange," and 33 "yellow" cities in Israel. Under the ministry's "stoplight" ranking, each designation carries different restrictions on public life, particularly public gatherings in closed spaces.

Meanwhile, Friday and Saturday mark the last two days for Israelis to get vaccinated with both doses of the vaccine. Israel's current vaccination supply expires in late July, therefore anyone wishing to get immunized without waiting for the next shipment, scheduled to arrive in September, must do so in the next two days.

Healthcare providers have already blocked the option of scheduling vaccination appointments after July 11, except for Israelis who recovered from COVID who only need one dose or for individuals who need to receive their second dose. In August, Israel will begin using Moderna vaccines, but those are only allowed for individuals over the age of 18.

Thus far, 5,189,094 Israelis have been fully immunized, while 5,712,644 received their first jab. As for Israelis under the age of 12, more than 166,000 have already been vaccinated. Another 15,000 have scheduled an appointment to be immunized. Throughout the past week, healthcare professionals continued to call on parents, children and those not yet inoculated to get vaccinated.

The coronavirus is continuing to wreak havoc across the world as well. The average global daily mortality rate is 8,000 deaths. The United States has reported the most COVID deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic (622,213 cases), followed by Brazil (530,344) and India (405,967).

To lower the global mortality rate, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has asked the American Food and Drug Administration for approval to administer a third dose of the vaccine.

In the meantime, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Friday that the government will deliberate on Sunday whether to appoint a team to examine the feasibility of establishing a vaccine production factory in Israel.

The team would be tasked with exploring the matter and consulting with professionals on the most efficient way to establish such a facility. It would be headed by Finance Ministry Accountant-General Yahli Rotenberg and include representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, the Budgets Department, the National Economic Council and the Health Ministry.

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