Israel is making efforts to expand the use of Regeneron’s life-saving monoclonal antibody treatment and make it more accessible to the general public, Ynet reported on Sunday. Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash responded to a query by Ynet about claims that the Health Ministry has failed to release the antibody treatment to Kupot Cholim despite the fact that the ministry has already purchased thousands of dosages of the drug, which has a proven success rate in the US. “I would like to see more people get Regeneron to lower the number of hospitalizations,” Ash said. He explained that supplying the drug to the Kupot Cholim involves a number of logistical challenges but he and other health officials are working to solve them and hope to resolve the issues soon.

Health Ministry officials on Sunday morning confirmed Israel’s lowest infection rate in over two weeks, with the positivity rate at 5.76%, a steep decrease from 8.42% on Thursday. There has also been a decline in serious coronavirus cases in recent days but the number slightly increased again over the weekend to 679. Health officials believe that the numbers reflect a curb of Israel’s fourth COVID wave but are hesitant to express too much optimism in light of the opening of the school year last week and the upcoming Yamim Tovim. Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said on Sunday morning that it’s too soon to celebrate but he is expecting a further drop in infection rates in the coming days.

There are currently 46 pregnant and postpartum women in Israel hospitalized with the coronavirus, with six women in critical condition, Kan News reported. There are also 39 children under age 18 hospitalized with the coronavirus, including five newborns. There is a total of 677 seriously ill coronavirus patients hospitalized throughout Israel, of whom 157 are ventilated. There are also thousands of coronavirus patients being treated at home with oxygen supplementation via Chareidi volunteer organizations. Israel’s Health Ministry on Motzei Shabbos reported 9,739 new coronavirus cases, increasing the number of active cases to 90,750. A total of 156 coronavirus fatalities were recorded over the past week, raising the death toll to 7,153. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Amid a soaring infection rate, Israel has confirmed over 550 coronavirus fatalities in the past month. Could some of these deaths have been avoided? According to a Yediot Achranot report on Thursday morning, the answer to the question may be an outrageous “yes.” The report revealed that although Israel’s Health Ministry has already purchased thousands of doses of a COVID drug with a proven success rate in the US, it has failed to release it for mass use by Kupot Cholim to treat COVID patients at home. In November 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment for mildly and moderately ill coronavirus patients, the month after former U.S.

A Health Ministry representative revealed on Thursday that a critically ill coronavirus patient was flown from Uman to Israel. In a discussion in the Knesset’s Economics Committee, Dr. Asher Salmon, director of the Health Ministry’s International Relations Department, spoke about the coronavirus issue in Uman. “Infections were already confirmed in Uman and last night a critically ill Israeli was evacuated,” Dr. Salmon said. “There are already 7,000 Jews there and the number is expected to reach 20,000.” In the course of the discussion, the committee approved tightening the supervision of Israelis traveling to Ukraine as well as requiring both vaccinated and recovered Israelis to present negative coronavirus tests prior to returning to Israel.

People who are vaccinated abroad who enter Israel will have to enter quarantine despite the new regulations announced by the Health Ministry earlier this week stating that those who are fully vaccinated are exempt from quarantine, The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday. On Sunday, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that those vaccinated with all three vaccines will be exempt from entering quarantine when returning to Israel from overseas. However, a Health Ministry spokesperson told the Post that travelers entering Israel, both Israeli and foreign nationals, will have to enter quarantine unless they received their booster shot in Israel.

Israel currently leads the world in the number of coronavirus cases per capita over the past week, an Oxford University study published on Tuesday shows. The Our World in Data study lists Israel as averaging 1,013 new daily COVID cases per million people over a week, surpassing Georgia and Montenegro. On Monday, Israel confirmed 10,900 new coronavirus cases, the highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic. The last time Israel recorded over 10,000 daily cases was on January 18, during the deadly third wave. The infection rate is expected to at least temporarily increase even higher in the coming days following the opening of the school year on Wednesday, followed shortly later by Rosh Hashanah.

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 10,900 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic. The last time Israel recorded over 10,000 daily cases was on January 18, during the deadly third wave. There are currently 83,542 active coronavirus cases in Israel, with 1,122 hospitalized patients, of whom 719 are seriously ill and 172 are ventilated. Over 500 Israelis have passed away due to COVID in August, raising the death toll to 7,043. Prof.

Chassidic courts are busy preparing for large crowds during the Yamim Noraim, especially Gerrer and Karlin-Stolin, both of which are known to be stringent about coronavirus restrictions. HaRav Itche Meir Tauman announced to Gerrer chassidim on Sunday that everyone eligible for a booster shot should immediately receive it and those who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to daven in the Gerrer Beis Midrash over the Yamim Noraim. HaRav Yitzchak Meir Gutman, the supervisor of the Gerrer Talmudei Torah, announced to parents that children age 12 and above can only daven in the main Gerrer Beis Medrash on Rosh Hashanah if they present documentation of being recovered or positive results from a serological test.

Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz on Sunday announced that the third coronavirus vaccine will now be available to all Israelis above age 12 who have been fully vaccinated for at least five months. Speaking at a press conference with Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash, coronavirus czar Prof. Salman Zarka and the head of the Health Ministry’s Public Health division Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, Horowitz also announced that those who are fully vaccinated with all three vaccines will be exempt from entering quarantine when returning to Israel from overseas. Horowitz added that as of October 1, only Israelis who fall into one of the following groups will be eligible for a Green Pass: Those who have been vaccinated twice for less than five months.