Israel on Tuesday said the number of coronavirus-related deaths has significantly increased, with up to 40 fatalities reported on a daily basis.
The Health Ministry said that Monday alone, between 35 and 40 COVID patients succumbed to complications from the virus, 40 times the daily average number of fatalities reported two weeks prior.
The ministry also said the pandemic data on their website has not been updated due to technical difficulties.
The ministry failed to present updated information on the COVID pandemic, daily infections, and hospitalizations because of what they describe as "an extreme overload of information".
Hospitals have, however, reported a surge of morbidity and an increase in serious illness and deaths.
"We are at the height of the Omicron wave", the ministry said, "The older and at-risk population is urged to avoid unnecessary contact with others."
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A COVID ward at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center
(Photo: Hillel Yaffe Medical Center )
Changes decided upon by the government, relieving schoolchildren from the need to quarantine, will come into effect on Thursday and the ministry said they expect a further increase in infections as a result.
According to the ministry, there are currently 2,256 people hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19, with 845 of them are said to be in serious condition and 117 on ventilators.
Among those, the ministry said, were people suffering from non-COVID related health conditions but have become infected with the virus as well.
There are currently 580,000 active COVID patients across the country, but according to the ministry, despite the rise in deaths, Israelis continue to stay away from vaccination sites.
Officials say they expected COVID restrictions to be lifted and the Green Pass to be canceled soon, negating the need to receive vaccines, as far as the public is concerned.
On Tuesday, a panel of experts advising the cabinet on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, recommended that the fourth dose of the COVID vaccine be administered to the entire adult population, after studies showed the jab provides three to five times more protection against serious illness and 2.5 times more protection against infection by the Omicron variant of the virus.