COVID numbers highest in two months with second day in a row of 1,000+ new cases

Despite uptake in overall infections, the number of hospitalizations in Israel remains stable

For the second day in a row, Israel has recorded more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus, indicating a new wave of infection from the Omicron variant.

Of the 104,334 COVID tests performed on Monday, the Ministry of Health reported 1,306 positive test results, bringing the current infection rate to 1.27% – the highest rate of contagion in the last two months.

The reproductive rate of the virus has also jumped to 1.28%, a number that gives the government cause for concern, as any value above 1 indicates that infections will continue to grow exponentially.

Even with the government’s fear for the public’s health, the number of hospitalizations in Israel remains stable. Currently, there are 81 patients hospitalized in severe condition, with 76% of them reportedly unvaccinated.

The Health Ministry also said that 41 patients are connected to ventilators, which is a lower number than what was reported on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is preparing to meet with health officials later today about implementing more public restrictions, following a prior meeting yesterday that did not result in any specific action. During that session, government officials discussed several possibilities to stop the spread of Omicron, including limiting gatherings, broadening Green Pass regulations and no longer subsidizing antigen tests for unvaccinated children, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Health officials, however, said they don’t believe the current morbidity levels warrant sending the nation’s economy “into a tailspin.”

Since March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Israel has reported 8,232 deaths due to COVID-related illnesses.