Posted on 07/28/21
| News Source: i24
Medical centers were spun down due to initial success of vaccination program earlier in year
Several hospitals in Israel reopened their coronavirus specialist wards Wednesday, on the back of a sustained increase in the number of patients in serious condition from the virus since mid-June.
Currently there are 258 Covid patients hospitalized, including 153 in serious condition and 28 on ventilators, according to official figures released Wednesday by the Health Ministry.
New cases numbered 2,260 recorded in 24 hours out of 95,624 screening tests conducted, amounting to a positive test rate of 2.38 percent.
Medical centers had closed Covid wards several months ago following Israel’s vast vaccination campaign and a drop in the number of serious cases nationwide.
The spread of the Delta variant has since been a game-changer, and the number of severe cases in Israel has more than doubled in the past week.
A study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem published on Tuesday indicates that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine in preventing serious illness is no more than 80 percent.
The study, which was presented to the government, also predicts that the number of critically ill patients could reach 400 in less than three weeks if no action is taken to curb infections.