Nitzan Horowitz says the situation is under control and 'spreading fear' is unhelpful, insists no plans for lockdowns or similar measures, but 'our finger is always on the trigger'

PM says government trying to find solutions amid huge lines at testing sites, while some health officials say Omicron herd immunity is likeliest outcome of current wave

Eran Segal argues newly added restrictions no longer relevant; says weaker strain rapidly taking over country, may cause 2 million cases within several weeks before dipping

South African data, not yet peer-reviewed, comes from 13 cases; researchers can't definitively say neutralization of Omicron not due to vaccination or previous infection

Eran Segal, who advises government, says country could see 15,000-20,000 cases a day at height of coming wave

‘We’re not finishing the job,’ laments Prof. Eran Segal; Israel has 650,000 eligible for coronavirus vaccine shots who haven't received any, and 1.1 million resisting boosters

Some 55 new deaths reported; heavy congestion at testing centers throughout country over holiday as many locations remained closed

Eran Segal reports the R-number, which measures how many new cases each infection causes, has dropped below 1 in Israel for first time since early June

Health Ministry director expects no more lockdowns this year; with school year set to start in 3 days, government advisers say there's no reason it won't

Israel is building a strong 'barrier' against virus, indicates Prof. Eran Segal; Israel's ex-coronavirus czar urges 'lockdown' be eliminated from lexicon