As the Omicron coronavirus variant continued to rapidly spread across Israel, the Health Ministry on Sunday morning reported a steep rise in serious coronavirus cases, climbing from 172 the previous day to 205. Out of those severely ill, 48 are on ventilators.
On December 31, some 93 COVID patients were seriously ill, and that number had doubled by the end of the first week of January.
The Health Ministry also reported that 17,521 new coronavirus cases had been diagnosed on Saturday.
With 151,189 tests conducted, the infection rate stands at 11.71% — the highest it has been since September 2020.
Officials noted that the infection rate is the result of the recent change to the testing outline, where vaccinated Israelis could test themselves at home. PCR tests were reserved for the over 60 population or other at high-risk Israelis.
However, many pharmacies are reporting a shortage of Antigen testing kits due to the high demand.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry approved the sale of COVID antigen tests in supermarkets in order to lower their price
The tally of active patients nationwide currently stands at over 115,010, with 523 of them receiving treatment in hospitals.
Since the start of the pandemic, 8,259 Israelis have succumbed to coronavirus-related complications.
Meanwhile, Israel's coronavirus R number — which shows how many new infections are a result of a single COVID carrier — stands at 1.97, indicating the accelerated spread of the pathogen in the community.
First published: 10:28, 01.09.22