Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 692 new coronavirus cases on Motzei Shabbos, with a positivity test rate of 2.6%. There are currently 15,876 active virus cases, with 552 seriously ill patients, of whom 218 are ventilated. A total of 47 deaths were confirmed since Thursday, raising the death toll to 2,366.

Dozens of Israeli pre-school teachers tested positive for COVID-19 as teachers across the country were tested last week as pre-schools and daycares reopened.

In Herzliya, dozens of children from several ganim in the city were forced to enter quarantine after a ganennet began working before receiving her test results. Unfortunately, her result turned out to be positive, wreaking havoc on the dozens of children who were in contact with her and their parents.

On a related note, Israel’s Health Ministry reported last week during a coronavirus cabinet meeting that children with COVID-19 “infect others and could be superspreaders.”

“Since most children are asymptomatic, it’s difficult to detect a large percentage of the children who are carrying the virus and they are likely to be a source of infection for others,” the ministry stated.

The report added that 8% of coronavirus tests carried out on children under the age of 18 were positive, versus 6% in adults. Furthermore, it was found in a national sampling for antibodies that 7.1% of children had antibodies for the coronavirus versus 1.7%-4.8% in adults.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ said that the ministry’s findings are “astonishing.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)