Israeli hospitals see rising number of seriously ill Covid patients

The number of seriously ill coronavirus patients in Israel has exceeded the 200 mark for the first time since April.

There are 362 coronavirus patients being treated in hospital, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. Of them, 212 are considered seriously ill, with 37 on ventilators.

At the peak of the pandemic in Israel in January, the number of seriously ill had been about 1,200.

In view of the rising infections, last week the Israeli government became the first in the world to start providing everyone over 60 years of age a third vaccine shot from BioNTech/Pfizer, creating a precedent being examined by other countries.

Nearly 58 per cent of the 9.3 million Israelis are fully vaccinated. Among people over 50, the figure is 88 per cent.

According to the Ministry of Health, however, the effectiveness of the BioNTech/Pfizer jab, which Israel has relied on for its vaccination drive, has declined significantly since June.

The number of new infections reported within one day has exceeded 2,000 for six days in a row.