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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Israel's number of new confirmed COVID cases continued to spiral, with 43,815 new COVID cases discovered Tuesday, the Health Ministry reported Wednesday, after 12.09% of the over 326,000 tests processed Tuesday came back positive.

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As of Wednesday morning, nearly 100,000 students in public schools were in quarantine, 73,550 of whom had active or symptomatic cases.

There were 222,877 active or symptomatic cases of COVID nationwide on Wednesday.

A total of 254 people were hospitalized in serious or critical condition, of whom 63 were on ventilators and 12 were hooked up to ECMO machines, figures that have more than doubled in a seven-day period.

Israel's COVID death toll since the start of the pandemic stands at 8,274.

Nearly 4.36 million Israelis have received both doses of the vaccine and a booster shot, and 424,130 have received both doses and two booster shots.

A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who are advising the Coronavirus cabinet presented on Tuesday updated models that show that if the current wave of transmission continues, Israel will see new cases peak at 800,000 to 2 million in approximately two weeks, with anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people hospitalized with serious cases. Some 2-5% of the serious cases are predicted to be children under 11, the researchers said.

On Monday, national coronavirus response coordinator Professor Salman Zarka warned that if more than 1,200 people were hospitalized for COVID at one time, the healthcare system would be unable to cope and a lockdown would be unavoidable.

Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej told Ynet on Tuesday that Israel was heading toward herd immunity, adding that within three weeks, anywhere from 2 to 4 million people in the country should test positive.

On Tuesday, Israel cut the isolation time for asymptomatic COVID-19 cases from 10 days to seven, hoping to keep schools and the economy open as Omicron infections sweep the country.

People infected with the coronavirus and not suffering symptoms for three days can be out of isolation after seven days, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Those showing symptoms were required to continue to isolate for 10 days.

The decision came after a ministry study of 80 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant of the virus. Lab tests showed that the likelihood of virus growth after seven days of illness was 6%, the Health Ministry said.

"The study conducted by Health Ministry experts shows that the chance that an Omicron patient will be contagious after this period of time is very low. We will not impose isolation beyond what is required, in order to maintain health, keep the economy, education system and culture going and to maintain routine life alongside the coronavirus," Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said.

Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton spoke Wednesday about her determination to keep schools open.

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"We are realizing more and more that it does immense damage to children, and we're now seeing the serious affects the lockdowns had on the kids. After a complicated year and a half and the mental health issues the students developed, we fought to start the school year on Sept. 1 despite criticism of the decision, and we made a commitment to keep school going for the sake of our children's emotional health and stability," Shasha-Biton said.

Despite the high numbers of COVID cases and quarantined students, Shasha-Biton said that "As of today [Wednesday], 90% of children are in school. I'm away of the problems and challenges. We are in difficult times and not everything is perfect, but we owe it to our children. I'll keep fighting for the 'Green Classroom' program to avoid needless quarantines," she said.

Meanwhile, healthcare officials warned Tuesday that Israel's Arab sector was poorly prepared for the Omicron wave.

A high-ranking official in the Arab healthcare sector in Jerusalem warned that the situation in the capital's Arab neighborhoods was about to "get out of control."

"In the morning, instructions say one thing, in the afternoon, another. There aren't clear decisions. The people at the top don't know how to manage things," the official said.

"People aren't buying home testing kits, or going to testing sites," the official added.

Arab communities in northern Israel appeared to be better off, although residents were still slower to respond to public health instructions than the general population in the rest of the country. The town of Shfaram has set up a testing site for members of any HMO.

Local officials said that they have seen increased demand for testing, and that messaging about COVID is consistent in schools.

i24NEWS contributed to this report

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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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Once the number of COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition hits 1,200, quality of care will be affected and the Health Ministry will ask the government to instate a lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, Israel's national coronavirus response coordinator, Professor Salman Zarka, said at a press conference Monday.

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Zarka spoke as the number of new COVID cases hit a record high on Monday. As of Monday morning, there were 222 COVID patients in serious condition, 71 patients in critical condition, 58 COVID patients on ventilators and 12 on ECMO machines.

"It's important we don't get to those numbers, and certainly not to a situation in which the hospitals can't cope. The more the numbers go up, we might have to approach the government and ask for a way of cutting them down significantly, like a lockdown. I hope we don't wind up there," Zarka said.

"Minor restrictions won't help – a lockdown like the first one, with people not allowed farther than 100 meters outside the house – will," he added.

According to Zarka, the number of confirmed cases is rising consistently, and has not yet peaked. "We have the ability to protect ourselves and make it through the next three to five weeks safely. The vaccine protects against serious cases, as well as transmission, and is also effective against the Delta variant, which still exists."

Zarka said it was important that groups at higher risk of developing serious cases avoid large gatherings, even ones that comply with the Green Pass vaccination certificate guidelines.

"There should be as little contact as possible right now," he said. "Anyone suffering from respiratory symptoms must stay home, get tested, and not go to work or school – that's how we'll avoid the risk of transmission. Just like we made it through the previous waves because we were responsible for one another, we'll make it through the current one peacefully and healthfully," Zarka said.

Touching on the authorities' revised guidelines for COVID testing, Zarka said that Israelis age 60 and over and members of at-risk groups had received text messages from their HMOs informing them that they were entitled to PCR tests.

"We offered the tests to this population as a result of prioritizing and policies that were adjusted for the Omicron wave. In a wave like this, no country can test everyone using PCR kits," he explained.

"We haven't yet rejected members of other groups from being PCR tested. We are allowing the public to adjust its behavior to the situation and keeping tabs on the situation," Zarka added.

When asked about the high number of hospital workers unavailable because they had contracted the virus or were in self-isolation pending test results, Zarka said that health authorities were examining possibilities that would allow essential workers – in the healthcare sector and other fields – to work.

Zarka also said that steps were being taken to expand COVID testing in schools, and that the number of testing facilities in schools would be increased from 250-260 to 600 in the next few days.

Monday ended with 30,970 new confirmed cases. There were 169,117 active or symptomatic cases nationwide.

Also on Monday, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said he would evaluate the government's decision-making process during the fourth and fifth COVID waves in Israel.

"In the previous waves, we checked, among other things, how the crisis was handled at the national level, how the Health Ministry functioned, including the system of testing; economic programs; and actions taken by the Education Ministry. We intend to look into some of these issues in the current wave, and whether lessons were learned from previous ones," Englman said.

Englman said that one of the issues he intended to examine was the government and healthcare system's handling of tests, the efficiency of testing sites, and the vaccination program. Aspects to be evaluated include purchasing and process.

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"The fifth wave of coronavirus, the Omicron wave, has started in Israel, along with continued outbreaks of Delta," an official in the IDF's National Coronavirus Knowledge and Information Center said Tuesday.

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At least 183 people have tested positive for COVID in a localized outbreak in Maaleh Adumim, mostly pupils in the city's public schools, the Health Ministry reported.

According to ministry data, 23 of the new confirmed cases in Maaleh Adumim are suspected to be the Omicron variant. Of the residents who contracted the virus, 48 were unvaccinated.

A total of 61 new cases were identified at the Dekel Vilnai School, with another 14 cases at the Tzemach Hasadeh School and 27 at the Aimr Ori School. There were additional cases in a number of nursery schools in the city.

Maaleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel decided to respond to the outbreak with a number of steps that include doubling the number of Home Front Command testing sites, bringing a mobile testing lab that will make the rounds of the city's schools next week, and stepping up the vaccination program for Maaleh Adumim residents, as well as stricter enforcement of COVID regulations.

Kashriel also ordered the schools at which Omicron cases were discovered to move classes to Zoom.

"We're working quickly and efficiently," Kashriel said.

As Israel is poised to launch an expanded campaign to vaccinate school pupils, Israel Hayom has learned that only 400 school nurses have agreed to join the campaign.

Last week, the Health Ministry, Education Ministry, and IDF Home Front Command started a vaccination campaign at elementary schools last week, with mobile vaccination units already set up in a few communities, including Yavne, Zemer, Rahat, and Karnei Shomron. But the school were notified that the vaccine-mobiles would be removed, with vaccinations to be administered by school nurses.

An estimated 874,000 school children ages five to 11 have not yet been vaccinated. Assuming that a school nurse can administers 100 vaccines per day, as many nurses as possible are needed.

As of Tuesday, only slightly more than one-quarter (26.7%) of elementary school pupils in Israel were vaccinated.

In a meeting with senior Health Ministry officials on Monday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suggested that unvaccinated children in cities and towns designated "red" and "orange" under the traffic light system go back to distance learning.

A number of other proposals were made at the meeting, including expanding the green pass vaccination certificate requirements; an end to government funding for antigen tests for children; and a mandate that half of all employees in the public sector work from home.

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The officials agreed to meet again on Tuesday.

The national parent-teacher association responded to Bennett's suggestion that unvaccinated children stay out of public schools with a statement: "We will not lend our hand to separating students. A proposal like this is a disgrace to decision-makers in Israel. The orders issued today from the situation room about forcibly bringing COVID vaccines into schools is a coercive action that will lead to battles in schools, to serious mistakes, and mainly a lack of trust between parents and teaching staff."

"We call on the prime minister to reverse his decision and consider the will of the community and the school leadership and bring COVID vaccines in only where they are wanted. We call for a strike at any school that introduces vaccines despite local opposition. Our children aren't pawns and we will not allow unvaccinated children to be punished and kept out of schools," the PTA said.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus reproduction rate (R) in Israel hit a four-month high on Tuesday, standing at 1.28, meaning that every confirmed COVID carrier infects an average of 1.28 other people, the Health Ministry reported.

The percentage of COVID tests that come back positive was also increasing, with 1.27% of tests processed from Monday to Tuesday yielding positive results, the highest percentage since Oct. 20.

However, the numbers of seriously ill patients remain relatively stable, with 81 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition as of Tuesday morning. Of the hospitalized patients, 48 were in critical condition, 41 were on ventilators, and 16 were attached to ECMO machines.

In the past seven days, three Israelis have succumbed to the virus, pushing Israel's cumulative COVID death toll to 8,232.

Ariel Kahana contributed to this report.

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Last Monday, 16% of travelers arriving in Israel did not conduct a second COVID test, as required under the new regulations Israel has adopted in attempts to contain the Omicron COVID variant, Israel Hayom has learned.

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The new rules took effect the night of Nov. 28 and require that arrivals undergo a second test on the third day after they land in Israel, in addition to a test on the day of their departure for Israel.

Of the 15,820 travelers who landed in Israel on Monday, Nov. 29, 2,651 people neglected to undergo the second test. If this rate of non-compliant travelers holds steady, it will translate to a weekly average of 18,000 people a week who are not tested a second time. In addition, most of the travelers who did get tested a second time were tested on the fourth or fifth day after their arrival rather than on the third day, as mandated.

The government is worried that widespread noncompliance could lead to an outbreak of the Omicron variant and has decided on a fine of 2,500 shekels ($790) for anyone who does not follow the instructions for returning travelers.

According to the updated rules, Israelis who meet the Health Ministry's criteria for "vaccinated" or "recovered" are to take a PCR test upon landing in Israel, after which they are supposed to self-isolate at home. If a second PCR test on the third day after their arrival is negative, the traveler can break quarantine. Anyone who does not take a second test will be required to remain in self-isolation for the full period.

On Saturday, testing identified 445 new COVID cases. As of Sunday morning, there were 241 additional new cases, bringing the total number of active of symptomatic cases in Israel to 5,306, a drop of 68 since midnight between Saturday and Sunday.

On Sunday morning, there were 110 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition nationwide, 75 of whom were listed in critical condition. Of those 75, 23 were on ECMO machines and 64 were on ventilators.

Another 13 patients were hospitalized in moderate condition.

Since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020, a total of 8,204 people in Israel have succumbed to the disease, including 12 who died in the past seven-day period.

Over 4 million Israelis have been vaccinated with the original two doses and the recommended booster shot, while 5.78 million have been vaccinated with the two doses of the original shot and 6.36 million have received a single vaccine dose.

On Thursday, the government announced it was halting the use of a controversial phone tracking technology to trace possible cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, days after it was authorized as an emergency measure.

Earlier this week, lawmakers announced a package of emergency measures to contain the new strain, including travel restrictions and authorizing the Shin Bet security agency to use phone monitoring technology for the contact tracing of people infected with Omicron.

To be extended, the tracking would have required parliamentary legislation.

But late Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said the "cellular monitoring" would expire at midnight and not be extended.

The reversal came following days of public criticism of a practice whose use in the past has been criticized by civil liberties groups and challenged in court. Several lawmakers voted against the use of the technology, and a government ombudsman argued that it was ineffective.

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GOC Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin expressed concerns of a possible fourth wave of a coronavirus outbreak, Wednesday. "We expect to reach 1,000 infections a day by the end of the week. I assume we will soon implement the green pass so that we can monitor morbidity efficiently," he said.

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Gordin said Israel would soon reopen its coronavirus testing centers and called on local authority heads to appoint an official to be charged with public health to prepare for a possible outbreak.

Coronavirus Commissioner Nachman Ash, who joined the conference via Zoom, said, "We are now preparing for an increase in morbidity. I must emphasize the pandemic is not at all behind us. The event is ongoing."

According to Health Ministry data, 521 of the 80,069 people tested for the coronavirus were confirmed to be carrying the virus, Tuesday, for an infection rate of 0.7%. The reproduction rate stands at 1.42.

There are currently 3,274 active cases of the virus. There are 40 people in serious condition, 16 of whom are on ventilators.

Although 834, 332 Israelis have recovered from the virus, 6,429 have died.

On Wednesday, the coronavirus cabinet convened at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem to discuss additional restrictions to limit the virus' spread.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the Health Ministry recommended several steps to rein in the outbreak of the Delta variant of the virus, including rapid testing of children and staff at summer camps and at the entrance to nursing homes and geriatric hospitals, mandatory quarantine – including for the vaccinated and those who have recovered from COVID-19 – for those who came into direct contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient, as well as for those waiting for the results of a coronavirus test upon returning from overseas.

The ministry further recommended parents of children in quarantine be required to enter quarantine with them. Additional recommendations included testing those returning to Israel from abroad three separate times for the coronavirus instead of the current two and mandatory quarantine for all those returning from high-risk countries.

In a positive development, Wednesday, Israeli biotechnology firm Bonus Biogroup reported the MesenCure cell therapy it developed has shown to significantly improve coronavirus patients' condition, preventing tissue and muscle destruction and curing pneumonia. The company

From the analysis of trials underway at Haifa's Rambam Health Care Campus, Bonus BiGroup said the therapy led to an "improvement in the health indexes indicative of an improvement in patients' health and their chances of recovery and survival from the very first treatment, as well as on the cumulative influence on … decreasing the risk of multi-system failure, heart damage, kidney damage, and embolic venous thrombosis."

According to Bonus BioGroup, each treatment reduced the level of an inflammatory protein, which when found in high concentrations is an indication of more serious disease, an almost three-fold increase in chances of dying from the disease, and an increased risk of additional health problems.

In addition, the therapy decreased the levels of the creatine kinase enzyme in patients' blood. High levels of the enzyme are indicative of serious illness and higher risks of death as well as additional health issues.

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The new government's Corona cabinet convened for the first time on Sunday to discuss a spike in new confirmed cases, due mostly to the highly contagious Delta variant.

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National Coronavirus Coordinator Professor Nachman Ash, who has just been appointed director-general of the Health Ministry, presented a number of relatively conservative steps to be taken to contain the latest uptick.

The cabinet decided that its first goal would be to provide maximum protection against the Delta variant with minimum interference in normal functioning. The cabinet also decided that the government must put systems in place to identify, track, and handle future viruses.

Strategic Affairs Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen, discussing whether the government should take steps to eradicate the spread of the Delta variant, said, "People who didn't get vaccinated – that's their problem. They took the danger on themselves," indicating that the government did not at this stage intend to instate severe restrictions.

However, officials who took part in the meeting told Israel Hayom that if the Bennett government did not take steps to reduce the spread of the virus, the new outbreak would result in seriously cases and even deaths.

The cabinet did decide to encourage children age 12 and over to be vaccinated. Cabinet ministers who have children who are eligible to receive the COVID vaccinated are expected to serve as personal examples.

On Monday morning, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett put out a video in which he issues a personal call to Israeli youth over the age of 12 to be vaccinated.

"Right now, there are enough vaccines for everyone. But there's a catch: they will expire soon, and then there won't be enough vaccines for everyone. There is a narrow window of 11 days, and we're racing against the clock," Bennett said.

"The last date to get the first dose of the vaccine is July 9. Three weeks later, you'll get the second vaccine, and then the vaccines we have in stock will expire. So I'm calling on parent and all the young men and women to get vaccinated," Bennett said.

Another important policy point of the new government is Ben-Gurion International Airport. Ash and Maj. Gen. (res.) Roni Numa, who has been appointed point man to oversee enforcement, testing, and quarantine measures at the airport, have been tasked with coming up with a model to enforce quarantines. Anyone crossing international borders into Israel will also be subject to genetic sequencing.

In Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, the government decided that Israelis who violate travel bans and visit blacklisted countries (Argentine, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Russia) will be subject to 5,000-shekel ($1,534) fines.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry, Health Ministry, and National Security Council have been instructed to plan for the launch of the 2021/22 school year in September, given various COVID scenarios that could be in play.

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Ash also recommended that the government expand testing of sewage, given the appearance of COVID in sewage in Ashkelon at the end of last week. Other suggestions floated included renewed contact tracing, sampling at the airport, and technologies to enforce quarantine. Testing for residents of retirement homes will resume.

As of Monday morning, there were 145 new confirmed COVID cases in Israel, 24 of which were identified after midnight Sunday. The number of active or symptomatic cases stood at 1,186, of whom 44 were hospitalized.

Of the hospitalized COVID patients, 22 were listed in serious condition, with 17 in critical condition and 16 on ventilators.

The total number of COVID fatalities since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020 is 6,429.

Over 5.5 million Israelis have received at least the first dose of the COVID vaccine, and 5.16 million have received both doses.

The 40,123 COVID tests processed since Sunday resulted in a 0.4% positive rate.

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Tired of having Q-tips stuck up your nose? Israel's BATM Advanced Communications Limited has launched a new molecular COVID-19 diagnostics kit that uses self-collected saliva samples, the company announced Thursday.

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The new kit consists of reagents that have been developed to accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 in saliva samples that are collected by an individual chewing a cotton ball for 30 seconds and then spitting it (or spitting directly) into a small plastic collector tube (a Salivette).

The reagents are based on the Group's existing COVID-19 antigen kit that tests samples collected via swabbing the upper (via the nose) and middle parts of the throat or fluid from the lungs, and which has five (4+1) gene discovery capability to enable detection even with a very low viral load. The company reports that its new test kits is 100% accurate for both specificity and sensitivity. This new kit, which is CE certified, is able to detect all known variants of COVID-19, including in people who are asymptomatic.

According to BATM, the new method significantly improves the sample collection process compared with existing swabbing methods while maintaining diagnostic accuracy using the RT-PCR technique.

BATM's new kit reduces processing time by eliminating the RNA extraction phase required for the existing swabbing methods. The new test can be executed by standard PCR equipment at a rate of 150-180 tests per hour.

Dr. Zvi Marom, CEO of BATM said the company was "extremely proud" to have launched the new test kit that eliminates the need for swabbing.

"Despite the excellent progress that has been made with vaccinations, we believe that COVID-19 will be with us for quite some time, so solutions such as our new saliva test will be invaluable for providing the ongoing testing required in places where people gather, such as schools and leisure venues," Marom said.

Marom added that BATM has already seen interest in its new product from cruise lines and professional sports teams who see it as a way back to a "more normal life."

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The economy might be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as early as next week if a pilot testing program being launched by the health and defense ministries to conduct rapid COVID testing for public buildings proves a success.

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The "green building" pilot will take place in the Negev Center in Beersheba, which houses The Authority for Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev, the Israel Lands Authority, and the city's Sharia court. All three are deemed essential institutions and continue to operate during lockdown.

Under the pilot, all employees and visitors to these premises will be required to be tested upon arrival and receive results on their smartphone devices in just 10 minutes.

Employees and cleaning personnel will be tested every two days and will be required to follow all Health Ministry guidelines, including social distancing and limits to the number of people per room.

The pilot, a joint project by the Health Ministry, the IDF technological greenhouse, and Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center, which developed the rapid tests, is designed to experiment with a program that could potentially be expanded nationwide to allow businesses and other venues to reopen, putting the economy back on track.

In a related development, the Health Ministry is set to present next week an exit program from the current lockdown in an outline named "green badge." On Thursday, officials held several meetings with representatives from the leisure and culture sector in which several ideas were raised, including the possibility of opening cultural venues to people who can present proof of a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, teenagers aged 16-18 will be able to get vaccinated starting next week, after Health Ministry Director-General Professor Hezi Levi received approval from the Vaccine Priorities Board on Thursday evening to go ahead with the campaign.

These teens are high school students in 11th and 12th grades who are slated to take matriculation exams this year, then be drafted into the IDF.  The health and education ministries as well as healthcare providers have begun logistic preparations to vaccinate the high schoolers.

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