The Israeli Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that nearly 12,000 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Israel within 24 hours, the highest number since the epidemic nearly two years ago.

11,978 new cases of Covid-19 were reported within 24 hours. The previous record – 11,344 new cases of Covid-19 – was set on September 2 last year.

There are currently nearly 60,000 people living with Covid-19 in Israel, but only 125 patients are seriously ill, according to data from the Health Ministry.

In Israel, nearly 4.3 million of the country’s 9.4 million residents have received three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. In recent days, Israel has also begun providing a fourth dose of Covid-19 to people over 60 and the medical community.

In Israel, people are mainly vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday predicted another increase in the spread of Covid-19 and called on people to get vaccinated.

“The wave is already taking hold now, and we expect tens of thousands of them to agree. [Covid-19] “Visiting a hospital in central Israel,” Bennett said.

“The good news is that the vaccine is working, so anyone vaccinated and wearing a mask properly is unlikely to get seriously ill and will be gone in a few days,” he added.

More than 1.4 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Israel since the start of the pandemic, including 8,247 deaths.