Daily COVID-19 cases near record 17,000 as new testing rules take effect – As case count continues to hit highs, under-60s and fully vaccinated now told to take less accurate antigen tests; serious cases climb to 143, but transmission rate ebbs slightly | Timesofisrael

New health data Friday showed Israel’s daily cases approached 17,000 the previous day, setting another new record for the greatest number of new infections reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
Driven by the ultra-contagious Omicron variant, 16,830 cases were diagnosed on Thursday. Another 4,032 cases were identified on Friday by 8 a.m. But with official testing sites now deprioritized for much of the population, the number of unreported cases is expected to be higher.