Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tests positive for COVID 19

162
1
Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tests positive for COVID 19

JERUSALEM, Jan 15 Reuters -- Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Saturday he had tested positive for COVID 19 and would self-isolate but would continue to work from home.

Lieberman said on Twitter that they felt good and will isolate themselves in the next few days. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tested positive on Monday.

Lieberman has faced some public criticism for not providing more government aid to businesses, as the Omicron variant has pushed Israeli infection rates to new highs, keeping many employees in isolation and customers at home.

Lieberman, 63, tweeted in response to the criticism, saying that they would continue to pursue responsible economic policies from home, keep track of the data and plan future steps.

On January 10, Lieberman posted a picture of himself receiving a fourth vaccine dose of COVID-19. Israel began administering a second round of boosters to immune-compromised people in late December, expanding the campaign to its over 60 year-olds and medical staff in January.

The Health Ministry says a booster increases protection seven days after the shot, but has not yet released data on the effectiveness of a fourth dose.

Israel, with 9.4 million cases of coronaviruses, has confirmed more than 1.7 million cases of the disease since the start of the epidemic and more than 8,000 deaths.