Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,787 toddlers, children, and teenagers under the age of 18 have been hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to new figures provided by the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Of those children, 100 were hospitalized in critical and serious condition, and nine lost their lives.
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The majority of the infections occurred during the third wave of the pandemic.
The Health Ministry on Wednesday also reported 4,389 new cases since the previous day, as 71,171 tests yielded a positive test rate of 6.4%.
Countrywide, 964 patients were in serious condition. There are currently 54,101 confirmed cases in Israel. Fourteen people died due to coronavirus-related complications since Tuesday's daily ministry report.
Among all positive cases in the country since the initial outbreak of the pandemic, meanwhile, 1,021 were toddlers and children under four years old. Of those children, 925 were hospitalized in mild condition, 57 in moderate condition, 36 in serious and critical condition, and three passed away. Among older children, the number of hospitalizations was significantly lower as 389 of those between 5-14 years old and 377 of those between 15-18 years old have been hospitalized.
As a reminder, a senior Health Ministry official earlier this week sent a letter to hospital directors across the country, telling them to expect more children to contract the virus in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Dr. Moshe Ashkenazi, the deputy director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, told reporters that his staff was currently caring for two children in mild condition who had contracted the coronavirus but were not hospitalized for that reason.
"None of the children who have been hospitalized with us had substantial coronavirus symptoms, only very mild symptoms. Based on the experience we've accumulated throughout the three waves, right now we aren't seeing higher morbidity in children," he said.
Also Tuesday, Israel passed another key milestone in its fight to control the virus, delivering the country's 4-millionth prime vaccination shot.
The prime shot, the initial one, is followed by the booster shot after several weeks, completing the person's inoculation.
As of Tuesday, 2,612,370 Israelis – about one-quarter of the population – have already received both shots, according to the Health Ministry.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein visited the Leumit Health Care Services vaccination facility in Jerusalem where the 4-millionth jab was delivered to meet its recipient. As of Wednesday, 4.08 million prime shots have been administered.
In his remarks at the facility, Netanyahu urged Israelis aged 50 and higher who have not been vaccinated yet (around 570,000 people) to join the inoculation drive.
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"You take upon yourselves the risks of death and severe illness with effects that could be for life," the PM, who received his own shot live on TV to encourage Israelis to vaccinate, warned.
"The first reason to go be vaccinated is the danger of not being vaccinated, which is far greater than the slight discomfort of the jab.
"Not only are you saving yourselves, if you do not get vaccinated then many of you will become very sick and you will be a challenge for our hospitals," he warned.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
