Among the 30,000 Israelis who traveled to Uman in Ukraine to worship at the grave of Rabbi Nahman of Breslev over the High Holidays, some 3,440 have already tested positive upon their return to Israel, health authorities reported Sunday evening.

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Of the positive cases among the Uman pilgrims, 25% were hospitalized and 19 were listed in serious conditions. Four of the Uman visitors have already died, with two of the deaths confirmed to be from COVID and the two other fatalities under investigation. A whopping 81% of the Uman visitors who contracted COVID were unvaccinated, and 91% are under age 50.

"This is a 10% positive rate, which is very high. The confirmed carriers cooperated only partly with the contact tracing, but I hope that they protected themselves and their family members," a senior healthcare official said.

Meanwhile, among the general population, 3,208 new cases were confirmed on Sunday, the Health Ministry reported Monday morning, a positive rate of 4.26% of the tests processed. The virus reproduction rate (R) was also down to 0.77, but it was unclear whether these lower figures were due to an actual decline in the number of cases or the fewer tests processed during the holidays.

As of Monday morning, there were 671 COVID patients listed in serious condition, with 90% of the serious cases contracted by people who had not received the booster shot.

Nearly 120,000 public school students, who are scheduled to go back to school this week after the Sukkot holiday ends, were in quarantine on Monday, and 3,843 teachers and other educational staff were in quarantine.

Authorities expect that the return to school, as well as Israelis returning from vacations abroad, will cause a spike in the number of new cases over the next few weeks that will begin to drop if the public continues to be vaccinated and observe public health precautions.

Healthcare officials have warned that Tuesday through Thursday this week, testing sites are expected to be unusually crowded because of the tests required by Israelis returning from abroad and home antigen tests whose results demand a second test. The IDF Home Front Command is currently operating 160 testing sites, 30 more than were available as of Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 6. However, one official said, "Community clinics are still not giving it their all."

On Sunday, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz convened a press conference at Wolfson Medical Center at which he expressed his satisfaction at the efficacy of the COVID booster shot and the government policy of "not instating lockdowns and not harming the economy."

Also on Sunday, Israel received its first shipment of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, N12 reported. The AstraZeneca vaccines will be offered to Israelis who have sensitivities to components of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Recent studies have indicated that the AstraZeneca vaccine might not require recipients to get a booster shot.

In related news, Israel's Coronavirus cabinet is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Sunday for the first time in over a month.

The cabinet is meeting as the number of serious COVID cases remains high and after unprecedented public criticism from healthcare experts, published a few days ago, of the government's policy during the latest Delta wave.

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Since the coronavirus pandemic reached Israel in early 2020, nearly a million Israeli have contracted the virus, the Health Ministry reported Monday morning.

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The total number of confirmed COVID cases in Israel since March 2020 stood at 994,615. A total of 919,840 Israelis have contracted the virus and recovered, although that number does not reflect the last effects some patients suffer.

As of Monday morning, 6,830 COVID patients in Israel have died of the virus.

The 104,699 COVID tests processed in the previous 24-hours period yielded a 6.31% positive rate.

As of Monday, there were 67,801 active or symptomatic COVID patients in Israel. Of the symptomatic cases, 1,142 were hospitalized. The hospitalized patients include 670 listed in serious condition, of whom 162 were in critical condition, with 108 on ventilators.

On Sunday night, Israel's public hospitals warned that starting Monday, they would no longer be able to admit COVID patients due to a lack of beds, resources, and staff.

Since Israel launched its vaccination campaign in December 2020, 5,445,567 Israelis have received the original two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, while 1,482,503 Israelis have received a booster shot since the third jab was approved in July. Sixty percent of Israelis age 60-69 have rolled up their sleeves for the booster, and close to 80% of Israelis age 70-79 have received the booster shot. The percentage of Israelis age 80-89 who have received booster shots stood at slightly more than 65%.

The percentage of Israelis age 40-49 who have received the COVID booster shot has yet to reach 20%, and only a tiny percentage of Israelis age 30-39 have gotten the booster.

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Meanwhile, on Monday Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a video to his Twitter page in which Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who has frequently been critical of Bennett's handling of the COVID crisis, appears.

Addressing the public, Bennett said that Israel could overcome the current outbreak and that if people continued to be vaccinated, observe mask regulations in public, and "behave responsibly," the nation would be able to celebrate Rosh Hashana with their families rather than in lockdown.

While Bennett is speaking, the video shows Israelis from all sectors – Jewish and Arab, secular and religious – wearing masks while outside and being vaccinated. The video also features high-ranking officials, including Bennett himself as well as Netanyahu, being vaccinated.

On Sunday, the Corona cabinet approved in principle COVID vaccinations at public schools, should there be a need. However, that approval in contingent on at least 50 parents of students in a given school giving approval for the school to call in a mobile vaccination unit.

A few days ago, Health Ministry Director-General Professor Nachman Ash signed a directive allowing vaccinations in schools during school hours, if parents provide written consent. Starting Tuesday, vaccination campaigns at schools in the Haredi sector – whose school year begins in August – kicked off.

Noam Dvir contributed to this report.

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The highly contagious delta variant continues to wreak havoc across Israel and the government is looking for new ways to increase the vaccination rate.

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The Health Ministry reported Sunday that of the 76,203 Israelis it screened for the coronavirus on Saturday, 2,886 (3.83%) tested positive.

There are now 32,300 active cases in the country. As of Sunday morning, 602 Israelis were hospitalized, of whom 348 were in serious condition – the highest number reported since April 1.

The number of COVID deaths rose to 6,535 on Saturday after two Israelis succumbed to the virus. Israel has reported 859,598 confirmed coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

According to ministry data, most of the newly infected are Israelis under the age of 60, and 51% are Israelis in their 20s. The worrying data has prompted the Health Ministry to consider expanding its third dose vaccination campaign, currently for Israelis over the age of 60, to include all Israelis older than 16. So far, 422,326 senior citizens have received a third jab.

The government is also mulling imposing a national lockdown during the upcoming High Holidays in September, however, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Sunday that a lockdown would be "the last resort."

Instead, he called on Israelis to wear protective masks, follow safety guidelines, and most importantly, get vaccinated.

He also launched Israel's rapid COVID test campaign by becoming the first Israeli to receive such a test. In a televised broadcast, he explained that starting Sunday, Israelis across the entire country will be able to take a rapid test and receive their results in a whopping 15 minutes.

"We must all understand that the coronavirus is not going to disappear any time soon. The rapid testing system is an infrastructure that will allow us to lead normal lives alongside the virus," Horowitz said.

Horowitz told reporters that the government was "working together with local authorities and educational institutions across all of Israel to encourage vaccinations [among Israeli youth], starting with the ultra-Orthodox sector.

He explained that the program would "cost money, but it is nothing compared to what a lockdown would cost the economy."

The government initially wanted to work with the schools directly, but Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Bitton said last week that she opposed the move.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked decided to bypass the education minister's opposition and work with the local authorities instead.

They also decided to financially reward schools that have a high percentage of vaccinated children and set up mobile vaccination sites outside schools that report low inoculation rates.

In any case, Horowitz said, if the morbidity rate continued to rise, the government would have no choice but implement a lockdown.

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The Delta variant of the coronavirus has led to a "surge" in coronavirus outbreaks triggering a "fourth wave" in the Middle East, where vaccination rates remain low, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

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The WHO said the highly contagious strain, first detected in India, has been recorded in 15 out of the 22 countries and territories of the region under its purview, stretching from Morocco to Pakistan.

"The circulation of the Delta variant is fueling the surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in an increasing number of countries in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region," it said in a statement.

"Most of the new cases and hospitalized patients are unvaccinated people. We are now in the fourth wave of Covid-19 across the region," said Ahmed al-Mandhari, director of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region.

As of the last week of July, "only 41 million people, or 5.5%, of the region's population, had been fully vaccinated," the WHO said.

Infections have increased by 55%, and deaths by 15%, in the last month compared to the month before. More than 310,000 case and 3,500 deaths have been recorded weekly.

Iran remains the worst-hit country in the region.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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At the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that due to the recent spike in coronavirus infections, the government was considering reinstating some aspects of the so-called Green Pass system that differentiates between vaccinated and unvaccinated Israelis in terms of access to certain venues and activities.

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"Without cooperation [from the public], and in case the morbidity rate continues to climb, we will consider reinstating certain aspects of the Green Pass," Bennett said.

The cause behind the latest rise in morbidity, experts say, can be attributed to the arrival of the delta strain to Israel. Of the 38,938 Israelis screened for the virus in the last 24 hours, 185 people (0.5%) tested positive. There are currently 2,455 active cases in the country.

The Health Ministry has recorded 842,749 coronavirus cases, including 6,429 deaths, since the global pandemic erupted in March 2020.

"One must understand that the delta variant is more contagious than all other previous strains," Bennett said, and vowed the government would do its utmost to protect its citizens.

Meanwhile, Ben Gurion Airport, which has struggled for weeks to cope with the overwhelming amount of arrivals, crowdedness and long lines, has set up an additional vaccination site that could speed up the airport's inoculation capability up to 2,500 tests per hour.

"The additional testing site at Ben Gurion airport is crucial for maintaining public health and preventing viruses from being brought into Israel," Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz also lauded the opening of the new site.

"Increasing Ben-Gurion Airport's testing capabilities ahead of the summer is an essential tool in protecting the health of Israelis," he said. "The defense establishment will continue to help curb the pandemic, as it has done from the beginning, and aid the government in any other national effort required to protecting Israelis."

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In the meantime, health officials are also considering administering a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine to people with weakened immune systems, Hebrew-language news outlets reported on Friday.

According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan News, some officials are concerned about data showing that the vaccine has been less effective in protecting immunocompromised people, including organ transplant recipients and cancer patients.

Officials are also considering administering such booster shots for the elderly, although medical history rather than age appears to be the most influential factor at the moment, the reports said.

i24NEWS contributed to this report. 

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Israel is issuing 45-day re-entry permits for foreign citizens who want to leave temporarily and then return.

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Travelers are expected to fill out an online form seven days before their expected flight date and provide a scan of their passport, residence permit, and return permit, which is good for a single use.

Upon returning to Israel, permit holders are required to present a PCR coronavirus test taken up to 72 hours of their departure and proof of health insurance that covers COVID-related issues.

Quarantine is mandatory upon entry for any foreigner vaccinated or infected outside of Israel, but can be shortened pending negative tests. However, even vaccinated Israelis returning from countries with high infection rates such as India, South Africa, Turkey, and Brazil are required to self-quarantine upon arrival.

The first phase of the re-entry permit scheme applies only to individuals traveling in groups, who can be more easily monitored. Authorities will decide if regular visitors will be given access to the re-entry permits, based on the result from the first phase of the pilot.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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As COVID continues to wreak havoc in India, New Delhi has asked Jerusalem for help in the form of oxygen and medicine.

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An official in the Indian Embassy in Israel told Israel Hayom that his  country wants to secure medical equipment, and had reached out to "all its friends, including Israel."

"The situation is a challenging one, but it is something we will overcome," the official said.

The Indian representative said that every country or continent had battled a massive second or third wave of COVID, but that there were a few encouraging signs that the numbers were declining.

"We are still second in the world in terms of the number of daily vaccinations, after the US. Our average for the past seven days is 2.6 million [vaccinations], compared to 2.9 million in the US. Starting next Saturday, we will make the vaccine available to everyone age 18 and over. Thus far, we have vaccinated 140 million people, or 14% of the all vaccinations administered worldwide."

The official said that approximately 10% of India's population has been vaccinated.

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The management of Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv has reached out to the health and foreign ministries about dispatching a shipment of medical equipment and personnel to help India beat back the COVID wave. Sourasky Director Professor Ronni Gamzu said, "In my opinion, it is the moral and correct thing to do at this time. We cannot celebrate life while on the other side of the world bodies are being burned. We at Ichilov [Sourasky] are willing to help immediately with anything needed to save lives."

Meanwhile, the situation in India continues to worsen. In the past 24 hours, 346,000 new cases have been reported, along with over 2,600 deaths.

These are the highest numbers India has seen since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020.

Five states account for 54% of all COVID cases in India, and crematoria are overwhelmed with bodies. Experts estimate that the true COVID death toll could be 20 times higher than the official tally of 190,000.

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Recent efforts by the Masa Israel Journey organization and the Jewish Agency to petition the Health Ministry came to fruition on Wednesday with the launch of a vaccination program for Masa participants residing in Israel.

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Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog visited Magen David Adom's vaccination center in Jerusalem, where hundreds of Jewish youths from dozens of countries, including Uzbekistan, Mexico, Argentina and Tongo, receive vaccination shots.

Some 5,000 youngsters who are expected to be vaccinated are participating in a variety of long-term programs in Israel spanning between four and 10 months. The participants intern at high-tech companies, teach English in schools in the periphery, study at universities, volunteer in the community and more. Hence, despite being foreign nationals, it was decided to vaccinate them as they are deeply embedded in the fabric of Israeli society.

According to the approved outline, the vaccination program will span 1.5 weeks and take place at five vaccination centers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and Eilat. The Masa participants will be able to receive services, guidance and medical advice in English, French and Russian.

"As of today, some 4.5 million people have been vaccinated in Israel," Edelstein said on Wednesday. "I'm happy to be here today with the chairman of the Jewish Agency and the wonderful Masa participants. This is a very important vaccination operation… It's good we were able to remove all the bureaucratic obstacles that were in our way."

Herzog thanked the Health Ministry and MDA for coming together to launch the vaccination program for the Masa participants.

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Israelis who have been vaccinated for or recovered from the coronavirus will be able to travel from Ben-Gurion Airport to Eilat as early as this week as part of a special pilot conducted by local provider Israir, the airline announced Sunday. 

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The company is set to launch a series of flights this week to try new ways of having passengers arrive and leave the airport. Eilat was chosen as a destination as the government has already allowed all hotels in the city to reopen. 

As part of the first stage of the pilot, Israir will launch a weekly flight to Eilat on Tuesday. The price of the ticket is set at 141 shekels ($43).

Every passenger will be required to present a "green passport" that confirms they have either been fully vaccinated or a certificate verifying they have recovered from COVID. 

Airline employees working on such flights will be fully vaccinated, as well. 

Israir noted that besides the pilot, it also plans to resume its regular scheduled flights for the general public, stressing that each aircraft will be disinfected in accordance with regulations. 

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Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Hezi Levi said Wednesday that vaccinations for the entire adult population were now available, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the economy will gradually begin reopening next week but in a "cautious" manner.

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The government is set to convene Wednesday afternoon to deliberate on a possible extension of the lockdown, which is currently set to expire Friday morning at 7 a.m.

Now, however, Netanyahu is pushing for a three-day extension that would keep Israel under full lockdown until midnight between Sunday and Monday.

Netanyahu, addressing the nation from the Health Ministry's headquarters in Jerusalem, urged the public to get vaccinated, setting a goal to inoculate 90% of people aged 50 and up within the next two weeks.

"We are in the midst of a race between the vaccination drive and the mutations," he said, referring to coronavirus variants spreading throughout the country.

He further expanded that the British variant was identified in 80% of those testing positive for COVID-19.

The Health Ministry, as stated, instructed the country's four national health funds and all hospitals to inoculate anyone over the age of 16. Children under that age were excluded from vaccine trials and therefore cannot be inoculated until additional research is conducted.

Levi's announcement, meanwhile, was a possible indication that the country's initial fast-paced vaccination drive had slowed down. In fact, "many vaccination facilities have stood empty," according to some reports.

According to Channel 12 News, Clalit Health Services, the largest of Israel's four healthcare providers, was forced to discard nearly 1,000 doses in recent days after people failed to show up for their vaccination appointments.

The latest data recorded by the Health Ministry showed that 3,236,859 (35.1% of the population) people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 1,855,071 were administered the second (20.1%).

Also Wednesday, an IDF Military Intelligence Directorate task force said the basic reproduction number, or R0 – the average number of people each virus carrier infects – has been steadily rising over the past few days and reached 0.99, a touch away from 1, the point beyond which the outbreak is worsening.

It said that was likely due to the more infectious UK variant, which accounts for the vast majority of new cases in Israel.

The task force pointed out that the high infection rates have failed to drop at all throughout the almost month-long lockdown.

Meanwhile, a total of 7,919 new cases of the coronavirus were diagnosed across Israel Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases reported since the pandemic began to 663,665, according to data released by the Health Ministry Wednesday morning.

The number of new cases diagnosed fell from 8,867 Monday, partially due to the lower number of tests conducted, but also because of the decrease in the percentage of tests returning positive.

On Tuesday, 9.3% of tests came back positive, compared to 9.9% of tests on Monday, 9.8% of tests on Sunday, and 10.0% of tests on Saturday. A total of 5,224 new cases were diagnosed Sunday, and 2,614 cases were diagnosed Saturday.

The death toll since the original outbreak of the pandemic rose to 4,888 Wednesday after 31 new coronavirus-related fatalities were reported on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 73,707 active cases of the virus in Israeli, including 1,789 patients who were hospitalized.

Of the hospitalized patients, 1,074 patients were in serious condition, with 292 on ventilators.

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