(Adds details, context)
TEL AVIV, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Israel has detected four cases
of the new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus that
has emerged in Britain, the Israeli health ministry said on
Wednesday.
Three of the cases were returnees from England and are
isolating at a hotel designated as a coronavirus quarantine
facility, the health ministry said. The fourth case is under
investigation, it added.
Israel launched a coronavirus vaccination drive on Saturday
and has vaccinated 70,000 out of its 9 million population,
health ministry data shows.
Having secured vaccines from drugmakers Pfizer,
Moderna and AstraZeneca, Israel expects to have
enough doses by the year's end for the 20% of its population
most prone to COVID-19 complications.
Israel has reported 383,385 coronavirus cases and 3,136
deaths. It has imposed two national lockdowns and may soon order
new sweeping restrictions amid an uptick in new cases.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Toby Chopra and Barbara
Lewis)