Doctors discharged critically ill patients from hospital sooner during the latest wave of the pandemic than in previous phases, according to data published by an Israeli TV station on Wednesday.
According to Channel 12, critically ill patients spent an average of 10 to 12 days in the hospital in the first six months of the year, compared to an average of about eight days during the first week of July.
The latest figures are very short-lived, but they indicated that the latest increase in cases caused by the delta version of the coronavirus is not as severe as previous waves over the past year and a half.
The data could allow health officials to put a halt to plans to recommend implementing more stringent restrictions given the increase in critically ill patients in recent weeks. While the total number of cases rose from a day in May to more than 1,400 on Tuesday, the number of critically ill patients – the key factor on which the government has based its strategy for managing the pandemic – saw a more modest rise. has gone.
According to health ministry data published on Wednesday, 144 patients are currently hospitalized due to coronavirus across the country, including 68 people in critical condition. According to a ministry report on Wednesday, nearly 60 per cent of those hospitalized were vaccinated.
Eighteen of the hospitalized patients no longer tested positive for COVID-19 but remained ill due to complications related to the virus and were therefore included in the health ministry data.
Israelis wear protective face masks as they walk through the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, July 20, 2021. (Miriam Ulster / FLASH90)
Three pregnant women were currently hospitalized due to the coronavirus as well as two mothers who had recently given birth – all of them in good condition.
The data shows that eight of the 12 patients currently associated with respirators had not been vaccinated.
So far 20 Israelis have succumbed to the coronavirus in July. Fifteen of them were vaccinated with both doses and five were not vaccinated at all. A total of 6,454 people have died of the coronavirus in Israel since the start of the pandemic.
A day earlier, 1,410 people tested positive for the coronavirus, according to health ministry data updated on Wednesday. More than 1.7% of the tests came back positive, although the Cannes broadcaster reported that testing centers were being overwhelmed.
More than 76,000 tests were conducted on Tuesday, the highest amount since the beginning of March. The flexibility of the testing regime will be a key factor, Israel moves forward with plans to reintroduce the so-called Green Pass system, limiting entry to gatherings of 100 or more people who can prove vaccinated or recovered, Or those who have tested negative in the last two days.
Channel 13 reported that 12-year-olds who are eligible for vaccination will not be included in the updated Green Pass rules, which raise questions about how effective they can be.
The government’s coronavirus cabinet is expected to convene for the first time in nine days on Thursday to discuss possible additions to the list of restrictions aimed at curbing the latest wave.
During the meeting, health ministry officials will also present their recommendations on expanding the list of countries from which Israelis are banned from flying.
Channel 12 reported that the health ministry was ready to add the UK, Cyprus, Morocco and Turkey to its no-fly list due to a significant increase in cases in those countries.
The countries currently off-limits for Israel are Uzbekistan, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Russia. Israelis entering after visiting any of these countries could face a fine of NIS 5,000 ($1,500).
Israeli students wear protective face masks as they return to school on May 3, 2020, at the Orot Etzian School in Ephrat. (Gershon Allinon / Flash 90)
As per the ministry’s updated guidelines, till last week, returnees from 15 countries with high infection rates were required to quarantine for a full seven days even with negative test results. The complete quarantine period was recently shortened from the last 10-14 days.
Countries with high infection rates are considered to be the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Tunisia.
Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that the health ministry is considering adding the United States to the latter list.
According to health ministry data, 130 of the 150 Israelis who tested positive on their return from abroad were visiting countries that were not even on Israel’s current no-fly list.
A police officer enforces COVID-19 regulations at Ben Gurion International Airport on July 19, 2021. (Avshalom Sasoni/Flash 90)
Vaccinated travelers returning from countries with low infection rates will only have to quarantine until a negative coronavirus test result is received. Unvaccinated travelers will have to quarantine for seven days and receive a negative test at the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the health ministry has told the HMO that any Israeli over the age of 18 to receive their first shot will receive Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine from August 1, according to Hebrew media reports.
Anyone between the ages of 12 and 18 will continue to get their second shot or the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which Israel has relied on for its national vaccination campaign.