Israel on Tuesday saw 7,832 new coronavirus cases diagnosed, and the number of severe coronavirus cases reach 578.
Of the 59,278 confirmed cases across Israel, 961 patients are hospitalized, with 143 coronavirus patients in critical condition and 104 intubated.
The nine coronavirus deaths reported Tuesday and two so far Wednesday have brought the national tally to 6,708. But the percentage of positive coronavirus tests dropped from over 6% to 5.60%.
On Wednesday morning, Health Ministry Director General Professor Nachman Ash told Galei Zahal: "We are trying to keep the economy open as much as possible, and we are banking on the vaccines ending the severe illness."
"In the coming days we will see if we succeeded - and if not, we will need to impose tougher restrictions."
"The current restrictions will not bring down infections the way we want them to," he added. "Right now we are on the border, where we need to make tougher decisions. We have reached a situation in which the number of seriously ill patients is high, and it is starting to be a burden on the healthcare system."
Also on Wednesday morning, coronavirus czar Professor Salman Zarka told the Knesset's Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee that the next two or three weeks, until Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), will be crucial for the decision whether or not to impose a lockdown.
"It will be a lockdown similar to the first and second, with a travel limit of 100 meters around your home," he said.