Israel records its highest record of daily coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic

Israel today registered its maximum number of daily infections of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, with almost 12,000 new infections, although serious cases remain above a hundred. The reproduction rate reached 1.92% this Wednesday and the positivity rate 6.65%, while the vaccination campaign progresses with the fourth dose in the population over 60 years of age to counteract the expected high morbidity due to the omicron variant.

“The initial study regarding the fourth dose shows that about a week after receiving the fourth vaccine there is an almost five-fold increase in the number of antibodies in the blood,” aThe Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Benet, announced yesterday from the Sheba Medical Center that is conducting the study.

The 11,938 infections recorded today by the Ministry of Health exceed the record of 11,345 registered on September 2, when the country was in the middle of the fourth wave due to the delta mutation.

Israel had warned of the rapid community spread of the virus, even having closed its borders since the end of November, and decided this week to reopen them as of next Sunday for tourists vaccinated from countries without a high rate of infections.

Health has also lowered the quarantines until obtaining a negative result for direct contacts with an infected person, while it has restored the mask outdoors in meetings of more than 50 people.

The confusion over the measures suggested that the country had changed its strategy towards a massive contagion, but the national coordinator of the pandemic, Salman Zarka, denied on Monday that he was applying a policy of herd immunity by “not having a scientific basis.”

In addition to vaccination to prevent serious diseases, the country is also committed to treatment and is already administering the Pfizer pill, Paxlovid, to patients, in addition to approving the use of the Merck pill last Sunday, pending receipt of the first shipment .

With 9.4 million residents, Israel today registers almost 6 million vaccinated with the two doses, and 4.2 million inoculated with the third.

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