Coronavirus: 12 cases of ‘Delta plus’ found in Israel

At least 12 cases of the “Delta plus” variant have been found in Israel, Hebrew media reported on Monday, as the number of patients in serious condition in the country continued to rise and reached 108 cases, 12 more than 24 hours earlier. Last Monday it stood at 61.

According to Channel 12, most of the carriers of the new variant returned to Israel from Georgia.

Experts say it is still too early to assess the effects of the Delta plus. The original Delta variant has proven to be significantly more contagious than previous strains of the virus.

Georgia is one of the countries that on Friday is set to enter the list of nations under travel ban, together with Great Britain, Cyprus, Turkey and Kenya. Currently, the list includes Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, South Africa and Uzbekistan.

The Knesset Health Committee is scheduled to meet today to approve the decision of the coronavirus cabinet.

Some 1,398 new coronavirus cases were identified on Sunday, with 2.08% of the 67,676 tests processed returning a positive result. The positive was the highest since March.

Two patients have succumbed to the virus in the last 24-hour period, and 28 have so far died in July. While they still represent a fraction of the deaths registered at the peak of the pandemic, when dozens died in a day, the number represents a dramatic increase compared to June, when only nine people died of COVID.

In order to curb the outbreak, starting from Thursday the access to all gatherings over 100 participants will be reserved to green pass holders – individuals who are vaccinated, recovered or who underwent a corona test within the previous 72 hours. From August 8, the tests will need to be paid by the test takers (children under 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine are exempt from the green pass outline).

Speaking in a press briefing, Health Ministry’s Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said that by August 8 rapid testing stations will be widely available around the country.

Asked about the plan for the upcoming school year proposed by the Education Ministry, Ash denied that the Health Ministry had agreed to a special quarantine outline for students and teachers allowing them to isolate only for 48 hours after being exposed to a verified case.

“We are not accepting the proposal of an isolation period of 48 hours, a negative test and return to the classroom,” he said. “It is not possible, it would allow infection to spread.”