ToI’s COVID update: Sisters die 10 days apart after giving birth * Toll tops 6,000, but infections drop * Aspirin protects? * Pandemic in posters * Is AstraZeneca safe?

[Times of Israel]( [Battling COVID: Weekly Update]( Tuesday, March 16, 2021 [Sisters, aged 23 and 31, die of COVID 10 days apart after giving birth]( By [TOI staff]( [Health official urges all pregnant women to get vaccinated after double tragedy; overall coronavirus figures continue to decline, with just 602 people in serious condition]( [Citing Israel data, Pfizer says vaccine 97% effective against symptomatic COVID]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [Small Israeli study finds virus antibodies in breastmilk of vaccinated mothers]( By [TOI staff]( Live updates [LIVE: Netanyahu laments 6,000 dead, ‘but it’s much less than other countries our size’]( By [TOI staff]( [PM vows ‘there will unequivocally not be another lockdown,’ but then says new virus mutations could lead to such a move]( [A year into pandemic, Israel’s COVID death toll surpasses 6,000]( By [TOI staff]( [Active cases dip below 30,000 for the first time since September as basic reproduction number continues to drop]( [Top health official: Virus ‘diminishing,’ but new variants a huge concern]( By [TOI staff]( [As infections drop, virus czar expects Green Pass to be extended beyond 6 months]( By [TOI staff]( [Aspirin may protect against COVID-19, Israeli research finds]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [People who take small doses are 29% less likely than others to test positive, researchers say; those who do get COVID recover faster, and with reduced aftereffects]( [Times of Israel Podcast / Podcast: Daily Briefing Mar. 11 – Aspirin, the wonder drug that works on COVID?]( By [TOI staff]( From the blogs [The story of us. In a pandemic. In posters.]( By [Nancy Cahners]( [Tel Aviv’s artful pre-pandemic posters signified a vibrant, edgy cultural scene. The post-pandemic offerings reveal how deeply things have changed]( Top Ops [Leehee Goldenberg]( [Fossil fuels and why I got the COVID-19 vaccine]( [Droves of Israelis cleaned tons of tar from their beloved beaches – though they didn’t put it there. The Israeli government needs to take this kind of responsibility too]( [Ilan Manor]( [Sputnik tweets its way to legitimacy]( [Forget about Russia’s takeover of Crimea. Moscow seeks to heal the world. Now, be sure to retweet, like and share that message]( [Amira Ahronoviz]( [Defying expectations in a pandemic]( [Operating in times of economic, diplomatic, and existential crises is what we at the Jewish Agency have always done. Then the coronavirus crisis combined all three]( [Sally Abrams]( [Our post-pandemic Shehechayanu moments]( [What ’firsts’ are worthy of this blessing? What events do we want to elevate with expressions of gratitude? Here are a few of mine]( [Health Ministry said preparing to end outdoor mask mandate by April]( By [TOI staff]( [Government also considering expanding international flights; top official says indoor and outdoor gathering size limits could be increased before Passover]( [Authorities to allow 800 people at state Independence, Memorial Day ceremonies]( By [TOI staff]( [Health officials: Situation in Israel ‘most hopeful since pandemic began’]( By [TOI staff]( [100,000 Israelis who got first COVID shot reportedly haven’t returned for second]( By [TOI staff]( [Health officials attribute reluctance to go back for final dose to wariness over side effects after initial injection, misinformation about vaccines]( [‘Worse than Mengele’: Medics reveal antivaxxer threats as union calls for probe]( By [TOI staff]( [Anti-vaccine social media accounts thrive, with false claims about Israel deaths]( By [Barbara Ortutay and AMANDA SEITZ]( [Settler head urges vaccinating Palestinians, paid for by tax revenues sent to PA]( By [Jacob Magid]( [David Elhayani and Palestinian anti-PA activist agree on urgency of inoculating West Bank residents after vaccine drive stalls]( [PA orders new lockdown in West Bank as hospitals reach 100% capacity]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Jordan health minister quits as COVID patients die from hospital oxygen shortage]( By [OMAR AKOUR]( [CRM]( from the blogs [Shayna Goldberg]( [‘But thank God we’re healthy, right?’]( [This corona year has been full of ’Dayyenu’ moments when I said ’If only’ and ’it would be enough!’ Then I threw my back out]( [UAE, Bahrain, some EU states said set to allow travel for vaccinated Israelis]( By [TOI staff]( [Russia, Morocco, Italy, Greece will also likely recognize so-called ‘green passports’ to allow quarantine-free travel, report says, although time frame for measure still unclear]( [Israel lets soccer fans back into stadiums for 1st time since start of pandemic]( By [TOI staff]( [Restaurants fully booked as Israelis flock back after year of restrictions]( By [TOI staff]( Passover 2021 [In US, vaccination and tests may let some families gather for Passover this year]( By [Shira Hanau]( [As uncertainty remains over whether relatives should get together to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt, a few share ‘mah nishtana’ — what’s different this year]( [Study on samples from US Haredi Jews casts new light on first days of COVID-19]( By [Shira Hanau]( [Major European nations suspend use of AstraZeneca shot, as WHO says it’s safe]( By [Frank Jordans]( [Germany, France, and Italy become latest EU nations to announce temporary ban; European Medicines Agency tries to allay concerns, saying no known health risks]( [Explainer / Why have several countries halted AstraZeneca vaccinations?]( By [Maria Cheng]( [WHO insists AstraZeneca vaccine is safe as shot faces new setbacks]( By [Robin MILLARD]( [COVID-19 postpones revival of Cologne Jewish Carnival tradition ended by Nazis]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [CRM]( [A Dallas kosher grocer removed its mask requirement, then came the backlash]( By [Shira Hanau]( [Kosher Palate store reverses course after outcry from Jewish community, illustrating the high stakes of the latest phase of the pandemic]( [Arrest warrant for Texan who wouldn’t wear mask in bank, likened it to Nazi star]( By [AP and TOI staff]( More Headlines [IDF declares: We are first military in the world with herd immunity]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Businesses set to offer rapid virus tests to the unvaccinated]( By [TOI staff]( [Russia said to press Israel to recognize its Sputnik V vaccine]( By [TOI staff]( [Explainer / Warp-speed spending and other surreal stats of COVID times in America]( By [Calvin Woodward]( [Orthodox Jewish groups welcome $2.75b for private schools in COVID relief bundle]( By [Andrew Silow-Carroll]( [Don't let my people go / COVID czar: People asked for restrictions to avoid hosting Passover Seder]( By [TOI staff]( [A dancer's diary / Veteran choreographer dances through pandemic, but craves the stage]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Eisenberg’s deli, a New York City institution since 1929, closes indefinitely]( By [Gabe Friedman]( [Israel to ship COVID vaccines to US for diplomatic staff]( By [TOI staff]( [AstraZeneca boosts planned US supply of COVID-19 antibody drug]( By [AFP]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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