The Health Ministry reported Sunday that Israel’s number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in serious condition has reached 726, a peak for the month of September, while the number of ventilated patients remains at 195.
According to the ministry, 481 of all patients in serious condition have not been inoculated against COVID at all, 157 received both doses of the vaccine, and 55 received three doses. There was no information available on the remaining 33 patients.
The ministry’s data shows that almost 70% of all critical patients were not vaccinated, while 8% received both doses as well as the booster.
Among seriously ill patients who are less than 60 years of age - 223 were not vaccinated, 45 received both doses and 10 received both doses as well as the booster. Those figures indicated that 80% of younger seriously ill patients were those who did not receive the vaccine.
4 View gallery
People in Tel Aviv waiting to receive the booster shot late last week
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The data also shows that the probability of developing a serious illness due to COVID-19 is 45 times higher among those unvaccinated, compared to those in the same age groups who received three doses of the vaccine.
The Health Ministry said 0that 7,445 new coronavirus cases were confirmed over the weekend, after 144,116 tests conducted, indicating a contagion rate of 6.21%.
The nation’s R number - which indicates how many people on average are infected by a single COVID patient - has also dropped and now stands at 0.91, compared to 1 just last week.
Since the start of the pandemic 7,511 people died from complications of the virus.
The ministry added that the number of students who have been forced to stay in isolation after being diagnosed with COVID has dropped and now stands on 44,636 and the number of students who have been forced into isolation due to exposure to a verified patient has also dropped and is now 91,775.
4 View gallery
An elderly man prepares to receive the third jab of the COVID vaccine in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The Military Intelligence Unit monitoring the pandemic meanwhile, commented on the decision by the FDA to administer the booster shots only to those aged 65 and over, or those with a weakened immune system saying the scientific data collected in Israel shows the booster shot is effective and safe.
"A large study conducted in Israel shows that the third vaccine increases by a factor of 10 the protection from infection as well as from serious illness compared to those who received only the two doses of the vaccine,” the unit said.
First published: 14:07, 09.19.21