Israel's coronavirus infection rate stands at 0.63%, according to Health Ministry data. Of the 85,832 people who tested for COVID-19 Sunday, 498 were found to have the disease.

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There are 6,155 active cases of the virus, 164 of which are serious. Of those in serious condition, 106 are on ventilators.

Although 1,319,888 Israelis have recovered from the virus since the outbreak of the pandemic, 8,123 have died.

On the vaccination front, 5,744,458 Israelis have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while 5,744,458 have received two doses. Nearly 4 million Israelis 3,991,207 Israelis have received all three available doses of the vaccine.

The number of coronavirus cases around the world is approaching 250 million, according to a Sunday report by Reuters.

Although the number of new daily COVID-19 infections is gradually declining worldwide amid vaccine rollouts, data shows case numbers are skyrocketing in Russia, Ukraine, and Greece.

Experts are currently optimistic about the course of the virus and believe that with the new treatments developed since the start of the pandemic, mortality rates could begin to decline.

"We think between now and the end of 2022, this is the point where we get control over this virus ... where we can significantly reduce severe disease and death," Maria Van Kerkhove, World Health Organization COVID technical lead, explained.

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However, analysts warned that the upcoming holiday season that will see people come together for intimate gatherings could lead to a spike in cases.

Health officials are also concerned about the availability of coronavirus vaccines, as many developing nations have been left without doses.

"Vaccine inequity remains the biggest barrier to reaching our coverage targets," Pan American Health Organization Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said.

Last month, the WHO appealed to leaders attending the G20 summit in Rome to assist in financing a $23.4 billion initiative to stem the spread of the virus in developing nations.

Around 14% of adults who recovered from the coronavirus reported experiencing long COVID symptoms, in particular difficulty concentrating, muscle pain, weakness, and loss of their sense of taste and smell, according to the findings of a study carried out by the Leumit healthcare provider.

According to the study, 10% of those who recovered from the coronavirus reported difficulty concentrating or memory problems, 8.5% reported muscle pain, 7.6% reported muscle weakness, 6% reported losing their sense of taste or smell, and 3.8% reported experiencing headaches.

A majority of the symptoms subsided six months after recovery, although certain symptoms continued to plague sufferers, including issues with memory and concentration, 9%, muscle pain, 7.8%, and muscle weakness, 6.6%, all of which remained at levels comparable to those who recently recovered from the virus.

Those who experienced muscle pain and ran fevers while sick with the virus were more likely to continue to suffer from long COVID more than six months after recovery. Age and hospitalization, however, were not indicators of long COVID, the study found.

The findings, garnered from studying 714 individuals aged 18 and over who recovered from the virus at least 12 weeks before taking part in the research, will be presented at a Leumit conference on research and innovation next week.

According to the study's research director Dr. Ilan Green, "The loss of sense of taste and smell during acute illness is an indication of the penetration of the virus into the nervous system and increases the risk of long-term damage to memory and concentration."

Green said: "Long COVID is a multisystem syndrome attributed to the period beginning 12 weeks after the acute illness. The information in the literature is preliminary only, and from it, we find around 10% of those who recovered will suffer from at least one symptom in this period. The rate of the symptoms' appearance varies, and there is a lack of information on symptoms that continue beyond half a year and on the populations that are at increased risk for long-term consequences."

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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A proposal by the mayor of the South Florida community of Miami Shores to place a menorah in the village town hall during the holiday season has led to a major pushback from the village's attorney and some members of the council.

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At the April 6 meeting, Miami Shores Mayor Crystal Wagar raised the idea of putting up a menorah during the winter holiday season, which seems long overdue to some who live in the heavily Jewish area. However, village attorney Richard Sarafan, who, according to The Miami Herald, is himself Jewish, argued that putting a menorah would open Miami Shores to a lawsuit. He went on to say that a Christmas tree is viewed as a holiday and not a religious symbol, so it is allowed.

Just hours after news broke that their council "rejected" a plan to allow a menorah to be displayed, some council members have been suggesting that they did not have enough information and needed more time to study the matter.

The request to revisit the issue comes after the council was criticized on Wednesday evening for their decision – the same night that coincided with the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day. It also comes just days before a local council election.

The meeting concerning the menorah also sparked outrage by outside legal groups and other South Florida Jewish officials.

In a letter to the village, the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists called on the council to "retable the proposal at the next meeting to ensure a proper, informed discussion can take place."

Robert Garson, the group's president wrote: "Particularly last night, at the beginning of Yom Hashoah, it was simply appalling to watch the nature and standard of the discussion on the issue of whether a menorah, the internationally recognized symbol of people of Jewish heritage, could be displayed by Miami Shores Village, during the winter season.

"Even more troubling was witnessing the mayor's palpable disbelief and frustration at the inarticulate and unreasoned purported analysis by attorney Richard Safaran," Garson wrote, adding that in this instance, the menorah would be allowed because the mayor's "message of inclusion clearly is a secular objective, which can include a symbol with an undeniable historical meaning."

Southeast Florida has one of the largest Jewish populations in the United States with an estimated 650,000 Jewish residents, following New York City and Los Angeles.

Mayor Gabriel Groisman of nearby Bal Harbour also expressed concern.

In a post on Twitter, Groisman said, "last night, Miami Shores, Fla rejected Mayor Wagar's request to put a menorah at Village Hall for the season! Menorahs are displayed in public squares across our nation and country – from Miami City Hall to the governor's mansion to the White House. This is simply unacceptable."

In response, Wagar tweeted back, "Celebrating the diversity of Miami Shores ad making all our residents feel welcome is fundamental to me. Know this … the work is not done, and this is not the first marathon I've run."

Meanwhile, according to reports, at least one council member says things are not as clear-cut as others are making them out to be.

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"To be clear, the council did not vote on the issue at the April 6 meeting," council member Jonathan Meltz posted on a Facebook community page. "A motion was made to vote, but no council member seconded the motion. It was unusual for such an important issue to appear on the agenda without any memorandum or written documents. [The] usual protocol for new agenda items was not followed."

Meltz, who is Jewish and says he supports having a menorah on village grounds during the winter holidays, suggested that the council revisit the issue on April 20.

"This is an important issue and should be treated as such," he wrote on Facebook. "There should be no rush to vote without the same consideration and information provided for every other issue presented to council."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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