The Ministry of Health announced this evening (Saturday night) that 591 new confirmed cases of the Omicron variant were identified today.
So far, 1,118 confirmed cases have been identified in Israel, of which 723 have returned from abroad.
There is a high suspicion of another 861 cases of exposure to Leumicron, for which the results of their testing have not yet been received.
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At this stage, those who have been exposed - including vaccinated/recovered individuals - to the confirmed Omicron variant or those who have been defined as "highly suspected" should undergo a PCR test and enter isolation for 14 days with the option of shortening the isolation period on day 7 after a negative PCR test result.
Naftali Bennett held a telephone consultation this evening regarding the Omicron strain, with the participation of Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, senior officials from his ministry, and other professionals. The Prime Minister directed that protection for the elderly population be immediately tightened, with an emphasis on the Magen Avot project.
Accordingly, rapid tests will be carried out at the entrance to nursing homes and assisted living facilities - even for vaccinated people.
Bennett also demanded that an assessment be conducted regarding the stock of equipment in Israel, and that preparations be made for a sixth wave, in case it occurs, and that the procurement of an additional 50 million antigen kits be promoted.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health reported that 1,775 people were diagnosed with the virus yesterday. Approximately 99,000 tests were conducted, and the rate of positive tests rose to 1.821%.
The R coefficient of infection has risen to 1.4. The number of patients hospitalized in critical condition has risen to 90, compared to 81 a week ago. 34 of the patients are on ventilators.
The death toll from the pandemic has risen to 8,241 people.
On Friday, 5,905 Israelis were vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine, 6,210 with the second dose, and 5,115 with the third dose. In total, 5,875,960 were vaccinated with the second dose and 4,190,768 with the negative dose.
