The sixth wave of coronavirus began in Israel, with more seriously ill patients and deaths

In the context of a new wave of coronavirus in Israelmedical centers across the country confirmed the trend by reporting an increase in hospitalized patients – especially seriously ill people – and the number of deaths, the news agency said. AJN.

Within the list of the most overloaded hospital institutions are the internal medicine department of the Ziv Medical Center in Safed -which has a saturated capacity of 123%- followed by the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Haderawith 121%.

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The statistics released by the Israeli government are also not promising. The last official part shared by the Ministry of Health – dated last Sunday – warned that on that single day 11,438 tested positive while in the last seven days accumulated a total of 68,000 infected.

Likewise, 53,828 citizens were still experiencing the infectious disease -most of them were infected with the sBA5 subtype of the variant Omicron-. Regarding hospitalized patients, 285 are in serious condition against 56 who are in critical condition, the Israeli agency said.

Consequently, the Health portfolio once again recommended the use of chinstraps indoors, especially in crowded places. However, this is only advice. It is not mandatory, except in medical institutions, despite the increase in infectious and serious cases.

As an analysis of the tense epidemiological situation that the Middle Eastern country is going through, Dr. Nadav Sorek, director of the infectious diseases laboratory at Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital, He specified that 25% of antigen tests to detect Covid-19 are now positive.

A Covid-19 patient reads a book in a coronavirus isolation ward at the Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Safed. (Jalaa Marey – AFP).

Last month, positivity was only 10%. “The importance is twofold and worrying in light of the increase in the number of tests,” Sorek stressed, adding: “If the criteria to consider that we are in another wave of Covid-19 is an extreme increase in the number of positive tests.”

“We are now in the middle of a wave”, said then the member of the Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital. On the trend seen in recent weeks, he remarked that Israel is “witnessing an increase in positive tests along with the positivity of cases.” “The reality is very complex”he insisted.

For the health expert, the “most worrying” data is “the possibility that within the health system there is an increase in infections among medical personnel along with a similar increase in the number of patients who are in critical condition.”

Still, and compared to previous waves of Covid-19 and Israel’s experience in prevention, “Most of our attention and concern is focused on patients over 60 years of age who have been infected and suffered from chronic diseases”Sorek said to finish.

Till the date, a total of 10,940 people have died in Israel from the pandemic in the last two years, including 26 over the last week. More than 825,000 people over the age of 60 also received the fourth dose against the virus, while 4.5 million Israelis have at least three doses.

Source: Elcomercio