The Health Ministry said Thursday that there had been 3,421 new COVID cases diagnosed in Israel the day before, marking the country's third consecutive day with more than 3,000 confirmed cases.
Out of 102,000 tests carried out, the country's positivity rate stood at 3.6%, the ministry said.
There are currently 460 COVID patients hospitalized across Israel, with 241 in serious condition, of whom 51 are connected to ventilators.
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The COVID ward at Sheba Medical Center, Israel's largest hospital
(Photo: Tal Shahar)
Since the pandemic first reached Israel's borders early last year, 6,503 Israelis have succumbed to the pathogen, including 26 since the start of August alone.
The current surge in COVID cases has been attributed to a breach at Ben-Gurion Airport that allowed thousands to enter the country after traveling from abroad without undergoing any kind of COVID testing. It is believed that this led to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.
According to the Health Ministry, since the start of the fourth wave of infection in July, 546 COVID patients have been hospitalized.
According to the Health Ministry, the average age of seriously ill patients in the fourth wave is 72.7 years. The youngest person in serious condition is 23 and the oldest is 99.
The ministry also says that 57% of serious cases are male and 43% are female, while 52.2% had underlying health conditions.
Out of the 460 patients currently hospitalized around the country, 35% have been fully vaccinated against the pathogen.
According to health professionals, the vast majority of vaccinated patients currently hospitalized are the ones who were among the first to receive the vaccine in Israel, suggesting that its efficacy has waned in recent months. Israel recently began offering a third booster dose of the vaccine to the over-
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Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz accompanies his parents as they receive the third jab of the COVID vaccine
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The majority of the younger patients currently hospitalized, meanwhile, have not been inoculated at all.
On Wednesday, Israel's coronavirus cabinet approved the return of the Green Pass mandate - which will require the public to present a certificate of vaccination or recovery from coronavirus to enter any enclosed public spaces.