Israel’s daily COVID cases continue to mount and the number of seriously ill patients skyrockets to over 500 (from just 100 a few weeks ago), Health Ministry to continue administering 4th vaccine dose, despite new evidence that it is not very effective against Omicron • Full Story

The United States issued a travel warning advising citizens not to visit Israel due to the steadily rising number of coronavirus cases in the Jewish State. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Israel is one of over 20 countries which are considered to be at the fourth level of coronavirus risk • Full Story

Scientists in France have identified yet another potentially worrying new variant of COVID-19 as omicron continues to bring a spike in cases globally • Full Story

Ontario is moving schools online for at least two weeks, temporarily closing indoor dining and gyms and pausing non-urgent medical procedures as it faces record-high case counts that, according to public health officials, threaten to overwhelm the province’s health-care system • Full Story

Israel’s Health Ministry announced Monday that it will permit the entry of some tourists into the country starting next week. The Health Ministry said it would ease restrictions both on air travel into and out of the country, including exempting vaccinated and confirmed recovered travelers from low and medium-risk countries from quarantine, once they have received negative PCR test results, or have waited 24 hours without symptoms • Full Story

President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Saturday, handing a victory to 24 states, not including NY, that had sued the federal government • Full Story

CDC shortens recommended isolation and quarantine period for people who test positive for Covid-19 from 10 days to 5, if asymptomatic • Full Story

At least 760 more flights were canceled across the US on Monday morning as the Holiday travel chaos sparked by COVID-driven shortages and delays continued • Full Story

Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights Saturday as staffing issues tied to COVID-19 disrupted holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year • Full Story

The U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2021 Population Estimates released this week show that population grew only 0.1% and that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the slower growth the country has experienced in recent years • Full Story

Canada’s Quebec province announced that as of 5PM today it is closing schools, bars, gyms and movie theatres in an effort to slow the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. It reported a record 4,571 new cases in the last 24 hours • Full Story

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz ruled Thursday evening that the restrictions recently imposed on air travel will be extended for an additional ten days, starting from next Sunday. Under the restrictions, all travelers returning to Israel – regardless of their vaccination status – will be required to enter quarantine upon their arrival at home, under the orders of the Health Ministry Director-General • Full Story

New York City on Monday issued an advisory strongly recommending that everyone wear masks indoors at all times regardless of vaccination status, amid concern about the new, highly mutated strain of COVID called “omicron”, Dr. David Chokshi, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told reporters during an update • Full Story

From the desk of Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht, Shliach in Norwalk, Connecticut: We need to judge for ourselves whether something is proper and good, or corrosive and injurious, and  to be negated. Is this going to nurture the good within me, or will it feed the potential for evil that lurks  within? Judging alone is not enough, there must be the willpower to enforce our sense of right and wrong • Click to Read

As of yesterday, over 200 cases of COVID-19 have been verified in the Chassidic enclave of Kfar Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, placing it in the country’s “red” category. According to the Hebrew language website Kikar Hashabbat over 70% of the cases are children and at this time none of the current cases in the village are of a serious nature • Full Story 

Israeli health authorities began administering coronavirus booster shots Friday to people over 60 who’ve already received both does of a vaccine, in a bid to combat a recent spike in cases. The decision was announced Thursday by the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, making Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale

Rabbi Berel Lazar, Russia’s Chief  Rabbi and Senior Shliach, called on the country’s Jews to get vaccinated with the ‘Sputnik-V’ vaccine, given free of charge in Russia. The Russian vaccine drew much skepticism at first due to its extremely rushed released following limited clinical trials. However, following further extensive research, Rabbi Lazar wrote that “we have talked to many doctors and everyone says that the vaccine is completely safe and those who have not yet been vaccinated should hurry up” • Full Story

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that he hoped not to impose new restrictions despite a rise in the number of new virus cases, citing the lack of increase in the number of patients hospitalized. On Friday, Israel reimposed an indoor mask requirement, as over 200 new COVID-19 cases were recorded during the previous day, the highest daily caseload in two and a half months • Full Story

Coronavirus Czar Prof. Nachman Ash this evening (Thursday) briefed reporters following the rise in morbidity and called on the public to wear masks. Ash said: “We are close to returning to the obligation to wear masks in closed spaces, I recommend doing so now” • Full Story

“Today is Day 472. Today is Tuesday.” And effective immediately, state-mandated COVID restrictions are eliminated, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he announced New York had achieved his 70% adult partial vaccination milestone early • Full Story

The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will provide significant economic relief to help low and moderate-income households at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by providing rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance • Full Story

Permanent residents in Israel (toshavei keva) must now present entry permits to board flights to Israel, a change made by the authorities without any prior notice, according to the Chaim V’Chessed organization on Thursday • Full Story

New York state mass-vaccination sites will open to walk-ins beginning Thursday, removing another barrier to vaccination efforts. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said demand for Covid-19 vaccines across the state was waning and people are no longer chasing appointments. About 115,000 New York residents are vaccinated every 24 hours now, down from 175,000, he said Tuesday during a press briefing • Full Story

U.S. health officials lifted an 11-day pause on COVID-19 vaccinations using Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot on Friday, after scientific advisers decided its benefits outweigh a rare risk of blood clot • Full Story