Beginning Wednesday, Israelis who test positive for the coronavirus but are asymptomatic as well as those exposed to a confirmed carrier will need to quarantine for five days instead of the previous seven. 

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Confirmed carriers will need to take an at-home antigen test on the fourth and fifth day of their quarantine. Carriers can exit quarantine provided they test negative twice and are asymptomatic. Unvaccinated individuals exposed to a confirmed COVID carrier will be able to exit quarantine upon testing negative on the fifth day of their isolation period. 

In an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday morning, Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said a record number of Israelis, 71,000, had been confirmed as infected with COVID-19 the previous day. He said 200,000 Israelis likely tested positive for the virus, as many had performed at-home antigen tests. 

According to Ash, there are 526 Israelis in serious condition. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to hold talks with senior Health Ministry officials to formulate a plan to end the current policy of week-long quarantines for unvaccinated students exposed to a confirmed coronavirus carrier following public pressure. Bennett is said to have been more open to the move after officials said they expect the reproduction rate to decline significantly over the next seven to 10 days.

Bennett has proposed Israeli students be continuously tested for the virus, as has been the policy in other locations around the world. Those found to be infected with COVID would enter quarantine, while all those who test negative, regardless of their vaccination status, will be allowed to remain at school.

Meanwhile, the Finance and Culture and Sports Ministries have agreed on an aid package to compensate actors, stage workers, independent artists, cultural institutions, and culture halls that have been out of work for the months of January and February. 

As part of the package,  the government will transfer 28 million shekels (around $9 million) to cultural institutions that continue to employ their workers as well as to pay independent contractors involved in any performance or event canceled due to the coronavirus. Another 10 million shekels (around $3 million) will go toward artists severely impacted by the decline in performances for schools and other places through the state's immediate acquisition of hundreds of such performances. 

Another 50 million shekels (around $16 million) will go to local authorities across the country to benefit cultural activities. 

The government will further increase funding of artists in distress to six million shekels (around $2 million) and will act to increase access to the funds for stage workers. 

In addition, the ministries committed to expanding Israeli Cinema Day activities once morbidity levels decline. 

In a statement, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, "We are constantly acting to keep the market active and functioning, and alongside this, we are providing assistance to sectors that have been harmed. This is what we did for the tourism and aviation sectors, and this is what we are now doing to help the cultural sector."

Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper said, "We are committed to the world of culture, and we will continue to stand with it as we have done. We have done everything we can to also help independent artists, childrens' artists, as well as stage workers and the institutions we hold so dear."

In a statement, Shaham – The Israeli Actors' Organization said, "This is positive progress, but God is in the details. We thank Culture Minister Chili Tropper for the great effort he made in recent weeks …. The bottom line: The compensation needs to reach the pockets of artists, creators, and stage workers. If the money remains in the hands of the institutions, we haven't done much. Therefore, in the coming days, we will study the fine print of the framework and ascertain the money goes to those who really need it."

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The number of confirmed new COVID cases in Israel hit another record on Monday, with 37,847 people testing positive for the virus in a 24-hours period – the most in a single day since the pandemic hit Israel in early 2020, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday.

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Of the 359,628 tests processed in the same 24 hours, 11.38% came back positive.

The reproduction rate (R) stood at 2.05 on Tuesday morning, meaning each confirmed carrier infects an average of 2.05 other people.

On Tuesday, there were 185,753 active or symptomatic cases in Israel, with 1,445 people hospitalized for COVID, including 247 in serious condition and 79 in critical condition. A total of 59 hospitalized patients were on ventilators, and 13 were attached to ECMO machines.

Since the start of the pandemic, Israel's death toll stands at 8,271. A total of 367,670 people have received two booster shots, and 4,346,855 people have received both original doses and a single booster.

Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center reported Tuesday that its two COVID unties were full, and staff were preparing to open a third unit.

Meanwhile, medical staff shortages continue, with 3,743 in quarantine, including 542 doctors and 1,008 nurses.

Although Prime Minister Naftali Bennett expressed pride a few weeks ago in Israel having "bought time" to prepare for the Omicron wave, data presented Monday at an IDF Home Front Command press briefing showed that neither contact tracing nor medical laboratories were provided with additional resources ahead of the fifth wave. However, test processing personnel was doubled, and healthcare authorities inaugurated the use of a "bot" in contact tracing, the Home Front Command reported.

The "bot" traces contacts through the Whatsapp messaging app. It was first used last August, but became operational ahead of the Omicron wave. The Home Front command said that when there are over 3,000 new cases a day, it deploys the bot, and 30-50% of the population on whom the bot is used cooperate with the questioning.

The Omicron variant has caused testing to skyrocket. More than 342,141 PCR and antigen tests were conducted Sunday, according to Health Ministry figures. That's the second highest single-day figure behind a spike of more than 414,000 in late August, as Israel was rolling out its booster shots.

Last week, when the government authorized the use of home testing kits, rapid antigen tests became the most in-demand product for delivery platform Wolt — even more than food, its core business, officials said.

By Monday, as Wolt opened a modern headquarters in a blue building in Tel Aviv, someone was ordering an antigen test every three seconds – a reflection of widespread public anxiety and confusion over the government's constantly changing pandemic policies.

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Demand notwithstanding, the government had to issue instructions on Monday about how to use the tests, explaining the people need to swab their throat as well as their nose when using rapid antigen kits to increase the chances of detecting the Omicron variant.

The recommendation goes against the advice of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has said manufacturers' instructions should still be followed and that incorrect use of throat swabs could pose a safety risk.

Director of Public Health Services in the Health Ministry Dr. Sharon Elroi-Preiss said in an interview on Army Radio that antigen – or lateral flow – tests, used widely in the country, were less sensitive than PCR tests in detecting illness.

"In order to increase their sensitivity we will from now on recommend swabbing the throat and the nose. It's not what the manufacturer instructs but we are instructing this," she said.

The ministry later issued guidelines which said a swab should be taken from the throat and then from one nostril.

"It has the potential to improve the reliability of the test," coronavirus response chief Professor Salman Zarka told a news conference, adding that the ministry would release a video showing how to use the new method.

Zarka said the ministry had spoken with companies supplying the test kits before issuing the new recommendation.

Rhenium, one of the Israeli importers of antigen kits, said earlier the Health Ministry had not consulted with it before issuing the new guidelines and that the tests, not checked by the company for throat swabs, were intended for nasal swabs.

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Lawmakers criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Wednesday after announcement that his wife and children were going on vacation overseas, despite the premier's recent calls on Israelis to refrain from necessary travel abroad.

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The family's original destination was the island of Mauritius, which has since been added to the government's no-fly list along with 49 other African countries, prompting them to change their vacation plans.

"After the decision of the coronavirus cabinet to leave the skies open, the destination of the vacation changed in accordance with the updated guidelines. The Bennett family will, of course, follow all the guidelines and rules that apply to Israeli citizens," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement but did not specify to where exactly the family would be traveling.

During a press conference on Friday, Bennett urged Israelis not to travel abroad due to the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

"If someone asked me, at the moment I wouldn't recommend flying abroad amid a level of uncertainty like this," he said. "That's the truth."

In a Twitter post, Likud MK Israel Katz called the move "a political lie turned normal."

Bennett responded in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, saying, "The Bennett family is subject to the same rules that apply to all Israeli citizens. I understand the criticism, however, we have learned more about the variant since Friday."

Also on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first Omicron case in the United States.

"This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant detected in the United States," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, told reporters at a White House briefing. "As all of you know, of course, we've been discussing this, we knew that it was just a matter of time."

According to Fauci, the infected person returned from South Africa nine days earlier and tested positive for COVID on Monday.

The traveler was vaccinated with two vaccine doses and was experiencing "mild symptoms that are improving," the CDC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus infection rate remained low in Israel and currently stands at 0.58%, according to Health Ministry data published on Thursday morning. Of the 98,172 Israelis screened in the past 24 hours, 526 tested positive.

There are 5,584 active cases in the country with 151 patients hospitalized. Of those, 116 are in serious condition.
Israel has reported 1,344,472 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, including 8,199 deaths.

Thus far, 4,086,805 Israelis over the age of 16 have gotten fully vaccinated, 5,778,068 received the second jab and 6,345,114 got their first doses.

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However, while the coronavirus seems to be under control in Israel, South Africa, where Omicron was first detected, reports a much different situation.

Preliminary data from health officials showed that the number of new cases almost doubled every day in the last few days. Although it is not yet clear whether the new strain is responsible for the alarming increase, experts estimate that two-thirds of new cases are indeed Omicron.

Another troubling development is the increase in infection rate among children. According to data from the South African Health Ministry, 10% of hospitalized are children under the age of two, a number much higher compared to other parts of the world.

"Young children appear to be at a greater risk due to the new variant," a South African Health Ministry official said. Until now, the majority of those hospitalized were adults. But during the [morbidity] outbreak in Tswana, we see that the largest age group are children under the age of two.

Tswana, near Johanessburg, has turned into a hot stop of Omicron infections seemingly due to a low number of vaccinated residents.

i24NEWS contributed to this report. 

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The IDF has purchases hundreds of telehealth kits from Israeli high-tech TytoCare for use in arranging home hospitalization for COVID-19 patients listed in mild to moderate condition, thus easing the burden on Israel's hospitals.

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The kits, produced by TytoCare, function as a modular device and examination platform for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, remote medical exams and now offer expanded video capabilities that enable users to perform remote physical exams of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and lungs, as well as measure blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and body temperature, all of which are key for monitoring COVID-19 and many other chronic and acute conditions.

Powered by Amazon Chime, the new video features include enhanced video quality, multi-party calls, and the ability for clinicians to conduct remote visits on any tablet, including iPads.

TytoCare co-founder and CEO Dedi Gilad said his company was "proud to be partners in the Israeli healthcare system's national effort to handle COVID cases and make it easier for patients whose condition allows them to stay at home, with remote medical monitoring.

"We thank the IDF and the Defense Ministry for their faith in Tyto's telehealth solution," Gilad said.

The health tech development comes after Israel marked on Monday a grim milestone, with the number of total COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 reaching 8,010.

Despite mounting mortality, the percentage of COVID tests yielding positive results in the past 24-hour period was the lowest since July, with only 1,483 of the 108,692 tests processed (1.42%) coming back positive, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 360 COVID-19 patients listed in serious condition, of whom 161 were on ventilators. The virus reproduction rate held steady at 0.78.

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Over 3.85 million Israelis have received two doses of the COVID vaccine as well as a booster shot. On Monday, 9,834 Israelis received booster shots after 12,614 received boosters on Sunday. Healthcare officials consider this a slow rate of vaccination and warned that it would limit the number of Israelis entitled to a green pass certificate of vaccination, as well as exposing greater numbers of people to reinfection this coming winter.

Over 5.7 million Israelis have been vaccinated with two doses.

Since the COVID pandemic hit Israel, the country has recorded an official 1,318,478 cases.

Meanwhile, Israel might consider allowing foreign visitors who have been vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine into the country without a mandatory quarantine – providing they show proof of an antibody test, Kan 11 News reported.

i24NEWS contributed to this report

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No country is off the table for Israelis wishing to travel abroad anymore. The Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee convened Monday morning to discuss new regulations proposed by the Coronavirus Cabinet. The committee approved the removal of travel bans to Brazil, Bulgaria, and Turkey, essentially clearing the government's no-fly list.

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However, travel warnings remain for several destinations with high morbidity.

"There are some countries in Europe with a rising infection rate, mainly Romania and Serbia," senior Health Ministry official Ilana Gans said. "A travel warning has been issued [for these,] but as of now, Israelis can fly to any country in the world."

At the meeting, Dr. Sharon Elroi Preiss, the ministry's director of public health services, called for an extension of the 'green pass' vaccination certificates for children as according to data, "they are 50% less likely to get reinfected" with the coronavirus.

The pass is issued to those vaccinated or who had recovered from the virus and developed antibodies, allowing them to enter hotels, restaurants, and event venues. They are currently granted to tripple-jabbed Israelis. A six-month pass is also given to those who recovered from the virus.

Elrai-Price also said that while recovered patients can receive a vaccine as early as three months after recovery, the government should not "push" them to do so.

"They can get inoculated for up to half a year," she said.

Also on Monday morning, the ministry reported that of the 99,105 Israelis it screened for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, 2,653 (2.83%) tested positive.

There are 38,088 active cases in the country, with 844 Israelis hospitalized. Of those, 247 are in critical condition and 204 are on ventilators.

Israel has reported 1,291,808 cases, including 7,827 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Thus far, 6,139,968 Israelis have been fully vaccinated, 5,654,522 received their second shots and 3,542,423 have gotten their third jabs as well.

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After showing signs of abating, the Delta variant wave seems to be on the rise in Israel again. The Health Ministry reported Tuesday that of the 145,868 Israelis it screened for the virus the day before, 10,947 (7.65%) tested positive, compared to the weekend, when an average of 8,000 Israelis were found to carry the virus.

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There are 83,542 active cases in the country, with 1,122 Israelis hospitalized. Of those, 217 are in critical condition and 172 are on ventilators. according to the Health Ministry.

Israel has reported 1,066,352 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Thus far, 7,043 Israelis have lost their lives to the virus, 526 of them in August alone.

Meanwhile, the Coronavirus cabinet approved new restrictions on Monday, including limiting the number of worshipers for Selichot prayers at the Western Wall to 8,000 participants.

The prayers, which have already begun at the Western Wall Plaza, are chanted nightly during the Hebrew month of Elul leading up to the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The cabinet also decided to divide worshipers into 18 sections with the obligation to wear a mask outdoors.

The "green pass" vaccination certificate was expanded to include health, education and welfare employees with possible expansion to other areas of the workforce to be considered at a later date.

Meanwhile, with the new school year set to begin on September 1, classes with less than 70% of partially vaccinated students will be required to study online. By September 30, at least 70% or more of students must be fully inoculated to attend school physically. The vaccine decision applies to eighth to twelfth graders in "red cities" with high infection rates.

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In further attempts to quell the Delta wave, the government was also considering offering financial incentives to national health funds for encouraging vaccinations.

Within the framework of the plan, the Health Ministry intends to transfer as much as NIS 24 million ׂ(around $7.5 million) to health funds based on the number of Israelis they inoculate, the number of their vaccination centers, and efforts dedicated to bringing more people to get vaccinated.

Efforts are currently being aimed at Israelis over the age of 60. Since Israel launched its booster shot campaign, 2,157,299 have already received their third jab.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday that the government would revoke the so-called "green pass" from eligible Israelis who refuse to get innoculated  with the third coronavirus vaccine dose. 

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So far, every Israeli over the age of 30 can receive the dose, and 1,673,156 already have. The pass is a certificate issued to those vaccinated or who had recovered from the virus and developed antibodies, allowing them to enter hotels, restaurants, and event venues.

"We will probably reach 13,000-14,000 [daily cases], but without the booster shot, it would be much worse," Horowitz told Channel 13. "In two or three weeks, I suppose, the reproduction rate will go down to 1, and then we will see a decrease. In 3-4 weeks, I estimate." 

A reproduction rate of less than 1 means an outbreak is subsiding.

On Wednesday, the ministry reported that of the 150,657 Israelis it tested for the virus the day before, 9,891 (6.69%) tested positive. The reproduction rate, which relates to the number of people each confirmed carrier infects, is 1.15.

There are 77,956 active cases in the country, with 1,118 Israelis hospitalized. Of those, 172 are in critical condition and 129 are on ventilators.

Israel has reported 1,015,043 cases, including 6,880 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The ministry also revealed data relating to the mortality rate in the current infection wave, based on the 231 of the 404 Israelis who have succumbed to the virus so far. It said that 34% of them were unvaccinated, 61% were vaccinated, and the rest were only partially inoculated (have only received one dose of the vaccine, or less than two weeks had passed since they received the second jab.) More than a quarter, 36.2% of those who died had chronic diseases; 59% were men and 41% were women.

Most of those who died (124) were 80 years old and older, 65 were between the ages of 70-79, 34 were between 60 and 69, and two were 17 and 39 years old.

In the first wave of the pandemic, which lasted 100 days, 307 Israelis lost their lives; in the second, which lasted 152 days, 2,531; in the third, which lasted 175 days, 3,572 Israelis died.

The ministry began administering the third dose of the vaccine on July 30, and is already seeing signs of an impact on the country's high infection and severe illness rates fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say.

"The numbers are still very high but what has changed is that the very high increase in the rate of infections and severe cases has diminished, as has the pace at which the pandemic is spreading," said Eran Segal, data scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and an adviser to the government.

"This is likely due to the third booster shots, an uptake in people taking the first dose and the high number of people infected per week, possibly up to 100,000, who now have natural immunity," he said.

According to Doron Gazit, a member of the Hebrew University's COVID-19 expert team, which advises the government, the rise in cases of severely ill vaccinated people in the 60 and older group has been steadily slowing to a halt in the last 10 days.

"We attribute this to the booster shots and more cautious behavior recently," Gazit said.

But even if the boosters are slowing the pandemic's pace, it is unlikely to fend Delta off entirely.

Dvir Aran, biomedical data scientist at Technion – Israel's Institute of Technology, said that while cases are retreating, other measures are needed alongside boosters to stop the pandemic. "It will take a long time until enough people get a third dose, and until then, thousands more people will become seriously ill."

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One person succumbs to the coronavirus every two minutes in Iran, state TV said Monday, as the Middle East's worst-hit nation reported a new daily record of 588 COVID deaths.

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With authorities complaining of poor social distancing, state media said hospitals in several cities had run out of beds for new patients. Some social media users have criticized the Islamic republic of slow vaccination rates, with only about 4% of the 83 million population fully vaccinated.

Total deaths reached 94,603, the ministry said, with 40,909 testing positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.

"Every two seconds one person gets infected with COVID in Iran and almost every two minutes one person dies from the coronavirus," state TV said, adding that most of Iran's 31 provinces were declared as high morbidity zones.

In January, Iran's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned the import of US- and British-made vaccines, saying they were unreliable and may even increase the spread of the virus.

Newly-sworn in President Ebrahim Raisi, who received his first dose of a homegrown COVID vaccine – named COVIran Barekat – publicly on Sunday, has urged officials to speed up vaccinations and to use "all means necessary" for curbing the pandemic, state media reported.

Trying to speed up vaccinations using imported doses as well as its COVIran Barekat shot, Iran is also participating in the COVAX scheme, run by the GAVI alliance and the World Health Organization, that aims to secure fair access for poorer countries.

Iran has blamed US sanctions for hampering purchases and deliveries of vaccines from other nations.

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President Isaac Herzog received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine in a televised broadcast Friday in an effort to encourage Israelis over the age of 60 to do the same.

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Herzog and his wife, Michal, were the first citizens to receive the booster shot, after the government announced on Thursday that all Israelis over the age of 60 would get the third dose.

"I am proud that our country was the first one to vaccinate its population with the first, second, and now third vaccine doses," Herzog said.

"I commend the government's courageous decision. The step we are taking now is crucial, it's how we can show we care for our fellow Israelis. The coronavirus is a deadly and dangerous virus, but thanks to this campaign, we will be able to lead normal lives in our country."

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: "We are launching this campaign to protect Israel's senior citizens. It is the responsible thing to do. It is not a political decision, rather a professional and healthy one."

Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, will also be receiving their third shots on Friday, according to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. Netanyahu is expected to give a televised speech before receiving his inoculation at 12:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Bennett said that "Previous coronavirus infection waves cost us hundreds of lockdown days, the loss of a school year for our children and severe economic damage. We do not want that to repeat.

"Our approach is different and clear: protecting life while continuing a normal routine. My goal is to sustain businesses, education and culture alongside the coronavirus, and avoid lockdowns as much as possible," the prime minister said.

Health Ministry Director-General Professor Nachman Ash has instructed healthcare providers to start administering the shots to double-vaccinated Israelis who meet the age criteria starting on Sunday.

Israelis have been receiving only two doses of the vaccine, but in the wake of reports that the effect of the vaccine appeared to wane over time, officials have recently started administering a third dose to immunocompromised patients, and now with the latest decision, virtually all seniors will be eligible.

Meanwhile, the contagious delta variant continues to spread rapidly across Israel. The number of seriously ill COVID patients has almost doubled in a week, jumping from 87 to 167, the Health Ministry reported on Friday.

Of the 91,202 Israelis tested for the virus in the past 24 hours, 2,165 (2.37%) tested positive, setting the infection rate at 1.34.

As of Friday morning, there were 16,162 active cases in the country, with 286 patients hospitalized. Of those, 33 were in critical condition and 26 were on ventilators.

Israel has reported 847,553, including 6,466 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

In an effort to further curb the spread of the Delta strain, the finance and transportation ministries approved on Thursday the appointment of hundreds of inspectors to enforce coronavirus regulations, including the proper wearing of protective masks, on public transports.

The government used such inspectors during Israel's previous outbreaks. The budget has been approved for three months, with the option to extend if necessary. It also approved the launch of a pilot for electronic monitoring, smart phone applications in particular, of Israelis entering the country who are obligated to quarantine.

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Israel confirmed 1,336 cases of the coronavirus Wednesday, up from 771 cases the same day last week. With 85,389 Israelis testing for the virus, the infection rate stood at 1.74%

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There are currently 9,673 active cases compared to 5,436 last week. The reproduction rate is 1.42. Seventy-two Israelis are in serious condition with the virus, 15 of whom are on ventilators.

Israel has recorded 856,261 coronavirus cases since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, including 6,455 deaths.

Over the last 10 days, 120 people entering Israel from overseas tested positive for COVID-19. Of those 120 cases, 86 had been inoculated against the virus, and 107 had returned from either high-risk countries or destinations Israelis are prohibited from visiting due to high infection levels. Twelve of those infected appear to have contracted the coronavirus for the second time.

With infections on the rise, the so-called "coronavirus cabinet" was set to convene Thursday to discuss a series of measures aimed at reining in the virus' spread. Among the proposals to be discussed were expanding the blacklist of countries Israelis are prohibited from visiting and allowing vaccinated Israelis to head out after testing negative for the virus at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Unvaccinated Israelis, however, would need to undergo testing at the airport and take a second test while maintaining a one-week quarantine at home.

As Israel Hayom has reported, the Health Ministry is further set to demand the government reintroduce the "green pass." Canceled on June 1, the pass was a certificate issued to vaccinated people and those who had recovered and developed antibodies, allowing them to enter hotels, restaurants, and event venues.

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