A new report released by the Health Ministry on Sunday showed that a large percentage of newly-diagnosed COVID patients in Israel are schoolchildren.
Israel, a world leader in coronavirus vaccinations, has recently seen a resurgence in coronavirus and last reported over 300 new daily COVID cases for the first time in three months as the country scrambles to contain the spread of the new delta variant.
The report said majority of children and teens who were infected, had contracted the virus within educational institutions where they study.
Although the country’s lauded vaccination campaign saw about three-quarters of adult Israelis receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the number of teens who were vaccinated is much smaller, due to the fact that 12-15 year olds were made eligible for the jab only in June.
Acording to the report, in the city of Kfar Saba 91.6% of active COVID patients are schoolchildren, in Ramla 81%, in Netanya, in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut 56%, in Rishon Lezion 55%, in Herzliya 53%, while in both Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva 49% of all COVID patients are students.
3 View gallery
Students in the Tel Aviv School of Arts where a COVID outbreak was detected
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Among schools that had significant coronavirus outbreaks in recent days are Hadar Elementary School in Kfar Yona where 35 students have been diagnosed with COVID, Almog School in Ma'ale Adumim where 40 students were found positive for the pathogen, and the Tel Aviv School of Arts where no less than 77 students contracted coronavirus.
The Education Ministry said there are currently 1,236 active COVID patients within the entire education system, of which 1,157 are students and 79 are staff members. In Israel, there are currently 2,438 active coronavirus patients overall.
The ministry added that due to the outbreaks, there are currently 15,063 students and 167 staff members in mandatory self-isolation.
In addition, about 42% of all child patients are in grades 7-12, 50% are in elementary school, and about 8% are in kindergarten.
Meanwhile, Israel's coronavirus cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday evening at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, in order to discuss a variety of issues, including the increase in infections, the return of COVID restrictions, and the reinstatement of the Green Pass mandate.