Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash spoke about the coronavirus situation in Israel in a press conference on Wednesday, saying that at this point the government is not considering a new lockdown. Ash explained that the number of seriously ill patients is low and most coronavirus patients that have been hospitalized are over 60. However, he said that the trajectory of the pandemic could change quickly, noting that the first cases of the highly infectious Delta variant have been found both in the Chareidi sector and Arab sector, where cases spread quickly due to crowded living conditions. Ash urged anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated to do so, saying that higher vaccination rates are needed in the light of the spread of the Delta variant.

A 48-year-old Israeli died of the coronavirus overnight Wednesday in Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel’s first COVID fatality in over two weeks. He had not been vaccinated and had no serious pre-existing illnesses. Early Thursday morning, another Israeli died of the coronavirus at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. The niftar, an 86-year-old resident of the Haifa area, was hospitalized in serious condition a week ago after contracting the Delta variant of the coronavirus, despite the fact that he was fully vaccinated. The niftar’s wife is also hospitalized in the coronavirus ward in moderate to serious condition, along with another five virus patients, all of whom were infected with the Delta variant.

A positive trend has emerged amid the rise of Coronavirus cases in Israel, that there has not been even a single death related to the virus documented in the country in the past two weeks. According to a report from the Health Ministry, in spite of the 501 newly diagnosed people with COVID in the past day, as well as the 38 people currently in serious condition around the country, not a single death was reported. During the month of June, only 7 people died as a result of having contracted the disease, the last of which passed away on June 23rd. This is the lowest number of deaths related to the virus in a single month since March 2020. There are currently 3,102 active cases of the virus in Israel.

An Israeli doctor in her 50s who chose not to get vaccinated contracted COVID and is now hospitalized in serious condition and attached to an ECMO machine, Channel 13 News reported. The doctor, who practices as a family doctor in a private clinic, began developing symptoms at the beginning of last week. However, despite her symptoms, she didn’t get tested for COVID and continued seeing patients. At least eight patients have tested positive for the coronavirus after seeing her. In the wake of the incident, the Health Ministry is demanding to increase enforcement of sanctions against physicians who choose not to vaccinate. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

America’s top infectious disease expert says about 99.2% of recent COVID-19 deaths in the United States involved unvaccinated people. And Dr. Anthony Fauci says “it’s really sad and tragic that most all of these are avoidable and preventable.” He tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” it’s frustrating “where you have a formidable enemy” in the coronavirus and “yet we do have a countermeasure that’s highly, highly effective.

The Haifa Family Court ruled last week that 15-year-old twins can be vaccinated against the coronavirus despite their father’s opposition. The decision on the case, which was submitted by the boys’ mother, was based on “the best interests of the minors, the preservation of their health and in light of their unequivocal desire [to be vaccinated.]” The judge noted in the decision that the court relied on the Health Ministry’s latest recommendation to increase vaccinations among children aged 12-15 in light of the recent outbreak in Israel spurred by the Delta variant. The judge rejected the father’s position that there is no urgency for teens to be vaccinated although some medical experts concur with that opinion.

Russia has been suffering from a sharp surge of coronavirus cases in the past month, and over 25,000 new cases were confirmed on Sunday, the largest number since January. Despite the high coronavirus rate and the fact that vaccines became available in Russia last year, the vaccination rate is low, with only about 18 million of its 144 million people vaccinated. Russian Chief Rabbi Rav Berel Lazar has called for all Jews in the country to be vaccinated with the Sputnik vaccine, which is free for all Russian citizens, Collive reported. In a letter sent to hundreds of Jewish communities across the country, Rav Lazar wrote (as translated by Collive): “Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has recently been on the rise again, and there are many families who got sick.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has spoken with Pfizer CEO Albert Burla several times over the past week about replenishing Israel’s vaccine supply and a possible vaccine swap deal with another country. Israel currently has 1.4 million vaccine doses that expire on July 31 and therefore is seeking to trade its supply for a future shipment of vaccines to another country. Any deal would have to be approved by Pfizer. The failure to reach such a deal would mean that vaccines purchased for hundreds of millions of dollars may be discarded. Israel was in advanced talks with the UK last week on a vaccine swap deal but Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy said on Sunday that the deal fell through. Later reports said that Israel is now in talks on a possible deal with two other countries.

President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that Iran may face another wave of coronavirus infections, as health officials warned of the spread of the more infectious delta variant of the virus. Rouhani, speaking at a national coronavirus task force meeting, urged people to postpone their summer travels and gatherings to prevent the “spread of the virus, particularly its Indian variant.” Iran has reported cases of the delta variant in a number of cities and towns. “There are concerns that we go into the direction of a fifth wave,” he said. “In southern provinces we should apply more treatment since the delta variant has infiltrated there.” Rouhani’s website reported his remarks. Iran remains among the countries hardest hit by the virus in the world and the worst hit in the Middle East.

Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives. The urgency coincides with Europe’s summer holidays, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is being neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors. Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism.