Israeli hospitals are not on the verge of collapse despite surging daily coronavirus cases and the discovery of a new strain within the country, the country's top pandemic official Prof. Salman Zarka told a media briefing Monday.
"I'm in touch with the hospitals and our excellent directors-general and we are not on the verge of collapse. Some hospitals do face higher workloads, but the healthcare system will continue to deliver," stressed Zarka, whose statement comes amid a steady decline in severe COVID-19 cases.
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COVID-19 wards in several Israeli hospitals
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch, Yariv Katz, Hadassah Ein Kerem)
Zarka added that about 700 cases of a new coronavirus sub-strain, known as BA.2, had been detected in Israel in recent weeks.
"Some carriers have contracted the virus within our border while others caught it abroad. We are currently monitoring the strain mainly in the UK and Denmark, where Omicron infections are going down," he said.
"In Denmark, a new infection wave is ongoing while infections remain stable in the UK. We are quite worried that the strain's spread will cause thousands of infections for a prolonged period."
Zarka also warned Israelis of growing complacent and throwing caution to the wind as Omicron cases continue to decline but remain in the tens of thousands per day.
The coronavirus czar also urged groups at risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness — namely senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions — to take a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose to become better protected against complications of the disease.
He also lauded the government's decision to drop compulsory isolation for students who came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient, saying that the new policy did not fuel a resurgence in infection in the education system while providing students with a much-needed learning continuum.