The Health Ministry reported 1,263 serious COVID cases on Sunday morning, the highest ever since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago. Of those, 366 are critically ill, 291 are on ventilators and 19 are connected to ECMO machines. Altogether, 2,888 COVID patients are currently hospitalized.
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Nevertheless, the infection rate continues to decrease and currently stands at 28.79%. Of the 115,904 Israelis who were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 33,374 tested positive. There are 335,727 active cases in the country with 53,646 people in self-isolation. Thus far, 661,355 Israelis have been vaccinated with four doses, 4,447,657 with three, 6,102,839 with two, and 6,692,594 have received one shot.
Israel has reported 3,167,112 COVID cases, including 9,139 deaths, since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, a study by the British Office for National Statistics found that triple-vaccinated individuals were 93.4% less likely to die of coronavirus infection, compared to the unvaccinated. As for doubly-vaccinated people, the mortality risks were also much lower, but to a lesser degree – 81.2%.
This means, that among those unvaccinated, the death rate stood at 462.2 per 100,000 individuals, compared to 33.1 per 100,000 fully vaccinated people 21 days after the inoculation, and eventually, as low as 24.5 per 100,000 fully inoculated.
As for those vaccinated with one dose, the mortality rate stood at 377.7 per 100,000 individuals, and with two doses, 367.7 per 100,000 people.
Nevertheless, the researchers emphasized that the goal of the research, which was conducted between July and December 2021 – was not to study the efficacy of the vaccine, but the difference between groups of vaccinated and mortality rates.
In related news, there is a realistic possibility of large waves of COVID infection in the future in Britain and such waves might even be considered likely, epidemiologists who model the pandemic to inform government advice have said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ditched legal restrictions in England, saying that, while the pandemic was not over, Britain needs to learn to live with COVID.
The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O) said the emergence of new viral variants was the biggest unknown factor in the medium-to-long term, along with waning population immunity and changes in mixing patterns.
"Large future waves of infection that need active management to prevent detrimental pressure on the health and care sector are, at least, a realistic possibility (high confidence) or likely (medium confidence)," SPI-M-O said in a consensus statement published on Friday.
Britain has reported 157,730 COVID deaths, the seventh-highest total globally, and Johnson has faced heavy criticism for his handling of the pandemic, with the country having seen three national lockdowns.
The Omicron variant fueled a spike in infections to new highs at the end of last year, prompting the premier to reintroduce some limited measures, but deaths did not rise at the same pace.
He has now reopened the economy fully, citing the country's program of booster shots, the availability of antivirals, and the lower severity of Omicron , as breaking the link between infections and deaths.
England returned to Plan A last week, and the chair of SPI-M-O told Reuters that while each year should see the COVID situation improve, there may be times where the government has to reintroduce measures.
"The next few years will be highly uncertain, and future outbreaks and waves will likely be noisy as things settle down," the SPI-M-O statement said.
"A steady, predictable pattern... may be many years away."
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