Israel: “Full Lockdown May Be Longer Than 2 Weeks,” Health Officials Say

Israel’s Health Ministry on Sunday morning recorded a record number of 993 seriously ill coronavirus patients, the largest number since the start of the pandemic, of whom 231 are ventilated.

About 60 fatalities were recorded over the weekend, raising the death toll to 3,645. According to Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Prof. Itamar Grotto: “it was the worst weekend since the pandemic broke out.”

“The percentage of coronavirus cases remains high,” Grotto told Radio 103FM on Sunday. “I don’t think there’s been a downward trend yet. Regarding seriously ill patients and the situation in hospitals, I heard from [hospital] directors who said that the past weekend was the worst since the pandemic began.”

Health Ministry officials are saying that the lockdown is likely to be extended beyond two weeks, including Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of the Health Ministry’s Public Health division. She said on Thursday that the number of infections “has been doubling every two weeks. Currently, 80% of Israel’s population live in red or orange zones.”

Dr. Alroy-Preis added that she hopes that Israel’s robust vaccination campaign will lead to a decrease in cases within the next two weeks.

About 1,817,000 Israelis have been vaccinated, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein stated on Sunday morning, and Israel’s vaccination campaign is slated to continue advancing at full speed following the new deal with Pfizer.