Israel sees 35% drop in serious COVID cases in past two weeks

Health Ministry says 427 patients are currently in serious condition, compared to 660 reported two weeks prior; of those currently severely ill, 75% are said to be unvaccinated; infection rate and 'R' number both slightly increased

Adir Yanko, Yaron Druckman|
Israel has seen a 35 percent drop in the number of severe COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, health officials said Tuesday.
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  • The Health Ministry said 2,323 new daily COVID-19 cases were diagnosed on Monday, and after 116,451 tests had been conducted, the contagion rate rose slightly from the previous day to 2%.
    2 View gallery
    מחלקת הקורונה בבית החולים שיבא, תל השומר
    מחלקת הקורונה בבית החולים שיבא, תל השומר
    Sheba Medical Center's COVID ward
    (Photo: Tal Shahar)
    At least 427 people are in severe condition, of whom 187 are ventilated. The figure represents a 35% decrease from the same number two weeks earlier when the tally of severe cases stood at 660.
    The ministry added at least 75% of patients currently in serious condition have not been vaccinated against coronavirus.
    Since the start of the pandemic in Israel, 7,940 people passed away from the virus, of whom four succumbed to the disease on Monday.
    2 View gallery
    מחלקת הקורונה "כתר" בבית החולים רמב"ם
    מחלקת הקורונה "כתר" בבית החולים רמב"ם
    COVID ward at Rambam Health Care Campus
    (Photo: Shamir Elbaz)
    The country's "R" number (number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to on average) has also increased slightly and now stands at 0.72.
    At least 47% of the newly diagnosed appear to be under the age of 11, while 13% are aged 12 to 18. In addition, the data show that 57% of the newly diagnosed appear to be from the general sector, 26% from the Arab sector and 15% from the ultra-Orthodox.
    However, the number of Israelis getting vaccinated with the booter shot continues to decline and on Monday only 16,561 received the third jab. Last Monday, 51,569 Israelis received the third dose of the vaccine.
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