Omicron wave begins receding in Israel, but Bennett says hospitals still overloaded

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Serious cases of coronavirus are at an 11-month-high and continuing to rise, according to Health Ministry figures released on Sunday, as the ongoing fifth omicron wave shows signs of tapering off.

The total number of serious cases stands at 1,069. This is the highest figure since the peak of the pandemic’s third wave, when there were more than 1,100 serious cases.

The R number, which represents the average number of people each coronavirus carrier infects, dropped below 1, indicating declining spread for the first time since early November.

The R number, which currently stands at 0.95, is calculated from data from the previous 10 days, and any number above 1 indicates that the virus is actively spreading.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israel is “seeing the start” of the omicron wave stabilizing, but added that it wasn’t over yet.

“Right now, hospitals are overloaded and we’re still seeing high infection figures,” he told a cabinet meeting. “A few more weeks like that, and if we all act responsibly, we can overcome this wave, too.

According to Health Ministry data, there are currently 2,647 Israelis hospitalized with COVID, with 301 among them in critical condition and 241 on respirators.

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On Saturday, 45,258 people tested positive for COVID, marking the sixth day of declining figures. The rate of positive tests was 27 percent. However, while fewer people tested positive, there were also fewer overall tests.

There are currently 461,929 active COVID cases in Israel. Since the outbreak of the pandemic nearly two years ago, 8,658 COVID-related deaths have been confirmed.

Talks on school policy

Meanwhile, representatives from the teachers’ union, the Education Ministry and the Health Ministry are set to meet on Sunday in an attempt to reach agreement on quarantine policy for schools.

On Friday the Tel Aviv District Court left in place restraining orders prohibiting the teacher’s union from striking against the conditions until Monday.

The current plan, which went into effect on Thursday, effectively ends COVID quarantine for students in favor of testing them twice a week, the results of which must be reported to the Education Ministry.

Children whose test results are negative must attend school as usual, while those with positive results must take another antigen test at a testing facility. If the second test is negative, the student can return to school, and if it is positive, they will have to remain in isolation for five days, if they show a negative antigen test on the third day and the fifth day.

Since Thursday, hundreds of preschool and daycare centers remained shuttered due to a lack of staff.