Israel on Sunday said the new policy limiting the use of the COVID-19 Green Pass to "high-risk" events only, has directly affected vaccination numbers, which are now at an all-time low.
The Health Ministry said that on Saturday only 61 Israelis received their first vaccine dose, the lowest number since the beginning of the vaccination campaign over a year ago.
In addition, 197 Israelis received their third vaccine dose on Saturday, also representing a record-breaking low since the start of the booster shot campaign. Furthermore, 414 Israelis received their fourth dose, another all time low since its approval for over 60s around a month ago.
For comparison, a month ago during the week of January 8, some 2,747 Israelis received the first jab, 5,451 received their third one and 27,620 received their fourth.
The coronavirus cabinet, with support from health professionals, voted to limit the use of the Green Pass, citing data that the Omicron variant infects vaccinated and unvaccinated at a similar rate. Nonetheless, the consensus among professionals is that the vaccine reduces chances of critical illness following infection, backed by data from the Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, with the decrease in vaccination the number of severe COVID cases is continuing to break records.
The ministry said 1,263 patients are currently in serious condition, of whom 291 are ventilated and 19 are connected to ECMO machines. The ministry said there has been 11.8% increase in the number of severe cases compared to the week prior. The death toll, meanwhile, has surpassed 9,000 and currently stands at 9,139.
On the bright side, the virus' basic reproduction number is at 0.86, signaling the fading of the pandemic.
In the meantime, the Health Ministry also said that 33,374 people tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, and after 146,600 tests had been conducted, the infection rate now stands at 28.79%.
The amount of Israelis regarded by the ministry as actively sick has risen to 381,750, of which most are in mild condition and recovering in their homes. Still, because of the high number of cases, only three Israeli locations are not considered 'red' - indicating a high coronavirus contagion rate.
First published: 14:21, 02.06.22