Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett announced the self-isolation due to the results of a COVID-19 PCR test. The top Israeli’s official said n Sunday that his 14-year-old daughter tested positive for the novel pathogen, according to the office.
The Israeli top official left the weekly meeting of his cabinet and headed home after learning of his daughter’s positive corona test, which came amid fast-spreading infections in Israel caused by the Omicron variant.
Bennet’s daughter had been vaccinated against COVID-19, his office said. It did not disclose whether she had been infected by Omicron or the Delta variant also prevalent in Israel.
Prior o beginning of the cabinet session, the first minister reminded he had a vaccine booster shot i mid-August, while members of his government took rapid antigen tests and received negative COVID-19 results.
The 49-year-old PM drew public criticism after his wife and children went on holiday abroad early this month, despite his calls for Israelis to help stem Omicron’s spread by cancelling plans to fly overseas. Bennet’s cabinet later approved measures barring Israelis from travelling to most countries. Those edicts were preceded by an Israeli ban on the entry of foreigners.
As of Sunday, Israel has reported 1,118 confirmed cases of the novel strain Omicron, with the number of people infected by the variant now doubling every two days.
