Amid a new wave of coronavirus in Israel, medical centers across the country confirmed the trend by reporting a increase in hospitalized patients – especially seriously ill people– and the number of deceased, specified the AJN news agency.
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 Hadera, with 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 in that single day 11,438 tested positive while in the last seven days a total of 68,000 infected has accumulated.
Likewise, 53,828 citizens were still experiencing the infectious disease – most of them were infected with the BA5 subtype of the Omicron variant. Regarding hospitalized patients, 285 are in serious condition against 56 who are in critical condition, the Israeli agency said.
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Consequently, the Health portfolio again recommended the use of face masks 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.
The importance is twofold and worrying in light of the increase in the number of tests
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.
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 criterion for considering that we are in another wave of covid-19 is an extreme increase in the number of positive tests,” .
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“We are now in the middle of a wave,” said the member of the Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital at the time. Regarding 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,” she insisted.
For the health expert, the “most worrying” data is “the possibility that within the health system there will be an increase in infections among members of the medical staff along with a similar increase in the number of patients who are in critical condition.”
Even so, and compared to previous waves of covid-19 and the experience Israel gained in prevention, “most of our attention and concern is focused on patients older than 60 years who were infected and suffered from chronic diseases”, Sorek said to finish.
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To date, a total of 10,940 people have died in Israel from the pandemic in the last two years, including 26 in 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.
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THE NATION (Argentina) / GDA
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