TV: Hebrew U researchers expect at least 1,000 serious cases in a month

Hebrew University researchers advising the government on the pandemic assess that by the end of January, Israel will have between 1,000 and 2,500 seriously ill patients, Kan news reports.

The number currently stands at 94, but experts believe the Omicron strain could yet cause a massive spike, as daily cases rise to the thousands.

According to Channel 12, meanwhile, experts who met the prime minister today told him they believe there will be 20,000 cases a day by sometime next week.

Health care workers take test samples of Israelis in a drive through complex to check if they have been infected with COVID-19, in Modi’in, on December 26, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

They also said they expect the current wave to reach a peak in about 3 weeks from now, with a record number of cases and of serious cases, before it starts to recede.

The report also said that because so many people will likely be in quarantine, there could be a shortage of key workers in all kinds of fields, among them teachers and bus drivers.