In Israel, for the second day in a row, over 10 jobs were recorded. new coronavirus infections. This is the most in almost three months. The cause of the increase in the incidence is the sub-variant Omikron BA-5, which is responsible for 70 percent. cases. The local health ministry is considering returning to wearing masks.
- On Monday, 10 people were registered in Israel. 692 new coronavirus infections. The day before, there were 10 of them. 202
- The number of infections has been increasing since mid-May, but in recent days the bars have reached levels not seen since early April
- The number of severe cases is also increasing. The Israeli health ministry plans to restore covid units. Perhaps the obligation to wear masks indoors will also come back
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage
A new disease record in Israel
The Israeli health ministry said on Monday 10. 692 new COVID-19 cases. This is almost half a thousand more than the day before (10 thousand 202). Values above 10 last recorded in Israel in early April.
The number of serious illnesses is also increasing. Data from June 20 show 15 fatalities. There are 180 patients in seriously affected hospitals, 37 of them require a ventilator, and two are connected to ECMO machines.
There are currently 19 active COVID-60 cases. 622. During the week this number increased by nearly 60 percent.
On Monday, over 27 percent. performed tests gave a positive result. The day before, this percentage was as high as 38,9. The current R in Israel is 1,3. This means that the infection curve is on an ascending wave.
Another wave in Israel
On Sunday, the local health ministry warned that Israel is facing another wave of coronavirus infections.
– You can start calling it a new wave – said the director general of the Ministry of Health, prof. Nachman Ash. He reassured him at the same time saying that while the numbers of infections were on the rise, they were not the case with deaths. “I hope that, as with the Omicron wave, we will be able to get through it without any special restrictions.
Ash added that specific scenarios cannot be assumed at the moment, because this wave may be different than the previous wave. – Then there was an increase, and then it decreased very quickly. This time is different. There is a new BA-5 sub-variant that is more contagious, he explained.
The doctor recalled an appeal from the health ministry in early June that people at greater risk of infection should consider wearing masks in closed rooms. The numbers of new infections and hospitalizations have been rising for several weeks, as has the R index (over 1 since mid-May). The pace in this matter has increased significantly in recent days.
The R indicator tells how many more people can be infected by one person suffering from coronavirus. A value greater than 1 indicates that the epidemic is on an upward wave, a value less than 1 indicates that it is getting weaker.
According to last week’s data, the BA.5 sub-option was responsible for 70 percent. infections in Israel, and BA.2.12.1 for another 12 percent. Both sub-options are 15-25 percent. more contagious than sub-option BA.2.
Health ministry officials handed over to hospital directors on Monday to begin preparations for the reopening of covid wards. The return to wearing masks in the rooms is also to be discussed at the next meeting of the ministry (the obligation was lifted on April 24), as well as the issue of allowing the youngest children and infants to be vaccinated.
Why are the numbers rising again?
According to experts, another increase in the incidence is due to several factors: new and faster spreading variants (such as BA.5), a decrease in immunity resulting from vaccination, and public fatigue from the pandemic.
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According to prof. Nadav Davidovitch, director of the School of Public Health at Ben-Gurion University, needs to seal the currently imperfect testing system, prepare hospitals for more patients, and encourage people to wear masks indoors.
“I don’t think we should go back to the strict limits, but we need to invest in the system, from surveillance to communities to hospitals. Healthcare workers are constantly overloaded, and the level of burnout in this professional group is great, he noted.
He added that talking about the next coronavirus waves should be abandoned. In his opinion, COVID-19 will stay with us for a long time, and changes in infection rates will be related to the dynamics of subsequent variants.
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