Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 4,868 new coronavirus cases on Monday, with tests showing a positivity rate of 9.3%. There are currently 70,836 active virus cases, including 67,493 patients at home, 1,465 at coronavirus hotels, and 1,878 patients being treated at hospitals.
A total of 1,140 patients are seriously ill and a record-high number of 358 patients are ventilated – the highest number since the start of the pandemic. The death toll has risen to 4,419.
Dr. Alroy-Preis told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday that an extended ban on international flights is the only way to battle the UK variant and buy time to vaccinate most of Israel’s population.
“The decision to close Ben Gurion Airport for six days will not be enough,” she said. “We’ll have to extend the closure by at least a few weeks to buy time for the vaccination campaign.”
“The UK variant is 50% more contagious. Furthermore, about 40% of current infections are being diagnosed in children versus 29% when we emerged from the second lockdown. We’re seeing an increase in infections in 1st through 4th graders (ages 6-9), which is precisely the age group that is due to return to their classrooms [when the lockdown is lifted].”
Alroy-Preis added that the high number of seriously ill patients, including the unprecedented number of ventilated patients, which is increasing despite the falling number of new daily cases, is due to the British variant.
“We’re seeing a very rapid spread [of the variant],” she said. “The UK variant is behind at least 50% of new cases.”
Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash reiterated Alroy-Preis’s message, telling Radio 103FM on Monday morning that the British variant which is rapidly spreading through Israel has prevented the lockdown from curbing the infection rate.
Ash said that new information from the UK indicates that the variant causes serious illness at a 30% higher rate. There are also preliminary indications that the virus causes 30% increased mortality.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
So the public health professionals having been begging the politicians to close the airport for at least 2 weeks, and after delaying a decision while the new variant of the virus spread, they reluctantly allowed for a one week closing. Now they say a full month is needed buy some time, so the politicians will probably give them a few days longer and even then make exceptions for some well connected yid who insists it is critical he attend the bar mitzvah of his eynikl or some chossid who must attend the levayah of his rebbe.
Keep the airport closed for a month with zero exceptions and possibly save some lives.
One question WHY IN THE WORLD DO THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM LEAVING ISRAEL?? This is outrageous !!
Does this cannot mail letters to Israel or from Israel to Diaspora, and that they’ll simply sit around for over a month during closure of Lod Airport?
Why are only the countries and States with the worst lockdowns having these problems???
could it be that it is not the virus only the panic that has, and is claiming so many lives??? why is their still no real accurate and scientific study’s on this topic
The insanity has reached a new level. What does airport closure have to do with anything? Whoever wants to get the dangerous vaccine will get it and those that don’t , just won’t. They are a bunch of clowns playing games with peoples minds. The vaccines have caused an increase in sickness in these people , a large number of people have died , but we must vaccinate every adult and the only way to do it is to close the airport. Sick!