Over 10% of Israel's population caught COVID in January, Health Ministry says

Scientist believes over 3 million Israelis came down with the pathogen since the beginning of the country's Omicron-induced fifth wave, ranking Israel first in the world in infections per capita
Yaron Druckman, Alexandra Lukash, Adir Yanko|
Some 983,000 Israelis have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of January, the Health Ministry reported Monday morning, accounting for over 10% of the country's population.
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  • Meanwhile, 67,198 new virus cases have been detected over the past 24 hours.
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    Sanitation worker sprays disinfectant against coronavirus outside Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv
    (Photo: Gettyimages)
    Israeli hospitals were treating 2,181 COVID-19 patients, 783 of whom were in serious condition.
    Since the outset of the pandemic, 8,447 Israelis succumbed to complications of COVID-19, 196 of whom in January and 20 on Sunday alone.
    Jerusalem has the most active coronavirus cases, with the capital reporting 41,463 active patients, followed by Tel Aviv with 24,054 cases, Petah Tikva with 17,238, Rishon Lezion with 14,587 and Be'er Sheva with 13,896 cases.
    Meanwhile, a senior health expert said on Monday he believed some 3 million Israelis came down with coronavirus since the beginning of the country's Omicron-induced fifth wave.
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    בדיקות קורונה לילדים בירושלים
    בדיקות קורונה לילדים בירושלים
    Child tested for coronavirus in Jerusalem
    (Photo: AFP)
    "This places Israel first [in the world] this week in terms of infections," said Prof. Eran Segal — a scientist advising the government on its pandemic response and creator of the Weizmann Institute of Science's coronavirus prediction model — adding that the fifth wave is expected to abate soon.
    "The disease progressed in Israel the same way it progressed in other countries. This week, infections are also expected to begin declining. We are already seeing a decrease in those aged 60 plus."
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