Serious COVID cases dip below 1,000 as Omicron wave ebbs

The number of serious coronavirus cases in Israel dipped below 1,000 on Monday, as the ongoing wave of Omicron infections further receded.

According to the latest Health Ministry figures, 2,274 Israelis were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 971 in serious condition. Of those, 264 were on ventilators.

The ministry reported 31,190 new infections recorded the day before and another 11,998 since midnight, bringing active cases to 214,459. The positive test rate Sunday was 24.86 percent. The death toll stood at 9,624.

New daily case averages have been steadily declining since Israel confirmed a record 85,185 infections on January 23.

Health Ministry data also showed the transmission rate further falling to 0.72, the lowest since October.

The figure, which is based on data from 10 days earlier, is seen as a key measure for assessing the extent of COVID’s spread, with any reading below 1 signifying the pandemic is in retreat. In December, the value shot up to 2.12, but has since been on the decline.

Despite the steady drop in morbidity, the national coronavirus czar said Sunday that it was too early to declare the current outbreak over and that no decisions have been made on further rolling back COVID restrictions, such as scrapping the indoor mask requirement.

Salman Zarka also said the Omicron sub-variant BA.2 has “created a wave within a wave” and has slowed down the declining rate of new cases, raising uncertainty about the future, even when the fifth wave is over.