• Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

Infection Rate Increases Slightly while Serious Cases Fall

Nov 16, 2021

Even as the number of serious cases of the coronavirus in Israel continue to wane, there was an increase in the reproduction rate (R-number) on Wednesday. This rate climbed almost close to 1, which indicates that the spread of COVID-19 in the country is growing once more. For more than a month, this reproduction rate, which indicates how many people are infected by each person suffering from the coronavirus, has remained below the 1 mark. However, recent days have seen a bit of an increase in this rate and this is not good news. According to the data provided by the Health Ministry, the R-number had reached 0.95 on Wednesday evening. 

In contrast, the number of serious cases and hospitalizations as a result of the coronavirus had fallen. The active cases in Israel on Wednesday were about 5,137 and of these patients, 178 were in the hospital. Those in serious condition amounted to 138 and the number of patients on ventilators was 91. Nearly a month ago, the total number of people in serious condition because of COVID-19 was about 375. The number of people in serious conditions is regarded as a prominent indicator of the gravity of the waves of the disease. 

This is because these patients are the ones who require hospital care, thereby needing medical resources. On Tuesday, the number of new cases that were reported in the country were about 557. In early September, when the virus had been at the peak of the fourth wave, there were 10,000 cases were being reported on a daily basis. According to the Health Ministry, the total number of tests conducted on Tuesday was about 80,348, which showed that infections were at 0.69%. The data from the Health Ministry also highlighted that 6,261,285 people in Israel had gotten the first shot of the vaccine and two doses have administered to 5,759,419 people. 

The booster shot has been given to 4,031,970 people. Child-size doses of the Pfizer vaccine are yet to arrive in Israel, as there seems to be a delay. No reason has been given for it, but the vaccine was supposed to arrive this week and has now been pushed to the next. 

In other news, a 74-year-old woman in Jerusalem accidentally burned NIS 10,000 while trying to disinfect them from the coronavirus. The woman had collected the banknotes and placed them in a bowl with beach, while wearing gloves. She had then microwaved the bowl, setting the notes on fire. The Bank of Israel was notified of the incident and she also apologized, saying that she would replace the funds, but her current financial situation did not permit her to do so.

After conducting an investigation, the Bank of Israel decided to reimburse the woman. Theoretically, it is possible for COVID-19 to be transferred via money. Since cash is circulated for years, it is quite possible for the germs to spread. During the early months of the pandemic in February 2020, Chinese banks had developed the practice of disinfecting the notes before giving them to the public. 

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