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Israel on Friday saw a surge in the number of seriously ill patients suffering from complications of COVID-19, health officials said.
The Health Ministry said there are currently 639 patients in severe condition, of whom 116 have been added to that tally since midnight.
After another death was reported on Friday, since the start of the pandemic 8,371 people have succumbed to the virus, 120 since the beginning of January.
According to the Health Ministry, nearly half a million Israelis are confirmed with the virus, and nearly 200,000 are quarantined. Israel is ranked second in the world in the number of confirmed COVID carriers per capita.
According to the ministry, 9,867 medical team members were either confirmed with COVID or quarantined, up from 7,716 at the beginning of the week.
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Medical staff in a COVID ward at the Rabin Medical Center on Thursday
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
Deputy Director of the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Dr. Zvi Sheleg said his hospital was at 65% capacity for COVID patients.
"The absence of medical professionals causes great difficulties on our virus wards," he said.
"We've not canceled surgeries but with the hospital at 90% capacity and our internal medicine wards stressed, it is a challenge to keep providing services," he said.
Dr. Ilya Kagan, head of ICU at the Rabin Medical Center's Beillinson campus told Ynet that the Omicron wave is characterized by uncertainty.
"Hospitalizations are shorter than in previous coronavirus waves and the illness is less severe but the problem in my view is the shortage of staff. We are stretched to the limit," he said.
First published: 17:58, 01.21.22