* Israel posts 5,265 fresh virus cases, 21 new deaths: Israel on Thursday reported 5,265 new coronavirus cases diagnosed a day earlier, while 21 people passed away from the disease over the past 24 hours, said the Health Ministry. The ministry said over 76,000 COVID-19 tests had been conducted Wednesday, placing the contagion rate at 7.5%, indicating a steady decline. At least 1,027 patients are in serious condition, of whom 315 are ventilated. The official death toll now stands at 5,265. The Health Ministry also said that 138,531 Israelis were vaccinated on Wednesday. This is the highest number of people who received the vaccine in a single day since the start of February. In total, 40% of Israelis received the first dose of vaccine and 25.25% received both shots. (Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz)
* As Israeli Schools Reopen After COVID Lockdown, 80 Percent of Students Stay at Home: Only 20 percent of Israeli students are expected to return to school on Thursday, according to the Education Ministry. These are preschoolers and children in grades 1-4 in areas where schools can be opened. This means that 1.9 million children will continue with remote learning until the next update on easing restrictions in 10 days. For now, students in grades 11 and 12 are only due to return to school in the second stage of reopening, two weeks from now. (Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot)
* Report: Iranian nuclear scientist killed by one-ton automated gun in Israeli hit: The Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated near Tehran in November was killed by a one-ton gun smuggled into Iran in pieces by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to a report by The Jewish Chronicle on Wednesday. Citing intelligence sources, the British weekly said a team of more than 20 agents, including Israeli and Iranian nationals, carried out the ambush on scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh after eight months of surveillance.
* Vaccine data shows drop in hospitalizations, severe cases: Results from Israel's rollout of Pfizer's vaccine are trickling in, and they are promising. Among the first fully-vaccinated group of Israelis there was a 53-percent reduction in new cases, a 39-percent decline in hospitalizations and a 31-percent drop in severe illnesses from mid-January until February 6, said Eran Segal, data scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. (Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot)
* Netanyahu rejects Gantz’s request to release transcripts of the cabinet’s COVID-19 deliberations: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a request by Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz to release the transcripts of cabinet deliberations regarding the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday Cabinet Secretary Tzahi Braverman informed Gantz, the leader of the Kahol Lavan party, that he would not exercise his authority to lift the transcripts’ confidentiality classification because their disclosure would deter ministers from speaking freely at cabinet meetings. (Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot)
