Corona sixth wave? 12,869 people were diagnosed with Corona - coefficient of infection rose to 1.23

12,869 people were diagnosed yesterday with Corona, the Ministry of Health reported on Monday. The coefficient of infection, which indicates the number of people who infect a patient on average, rose to 1.23. When the infection coefficient is higher than 1, it means that the plague is spreading. According to the data, the number of patients in a stable severe condition: there are 328 severe patients in the hospitals, of which 143 are respirators.
The coefficient of infection was at its peak at the end of December, standing at 2.12 last month. With the decline in morbidity, the figure was at a low of 0.66 - and has risen steadily ever since. On Thursday, the IDF Intelligence Division issued a report anticipating the increase, but its authors noted that it was not clear exactly what was causing the increase in the rate of morbidity. However, the report notes three main factors that may explain this: making variant BA.2, which is more contagious than Omicron, dominant in Israel - similar to other countries in the world; the decline in immune protection among vaccinated people; Distance and masking.
The BA.2 variant is 1.3 times more contagious than the omicron, and currently accounts for more than 60% of new cases. However, officials in the Ministry of Health claim that the increase in its relative rate among those diagnosed actually reflects the attenuation of the omicron and not an increase in the absolute numbers of the rate of those infected with BA.2.
The IDF Intelligence Division report notes that the increase in the number of people diagnosed after the omission of the omicron wave has occurred in recent weeks in many other countries, especially in Western Europe. According to the report, in some countries - including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Belgium - there has also been an increase in the number of new patients.
Despite the increase in infection, the employment of Corona's trustees in primary schools is expected to end at the end of the month, and there is currently no intention to extend their employment, the Ministry of Education said in a statement on Haaretz. Since October, about 3,200 "Corona Trustees" have been employed in elementary schools, whose job it is to assist the school's management in dealing with the virus. Prior to the repeal of the corona regulations in schools, corona trustees were responsible for announcing the entry of solitary confinement in the event of contact with a patient, as well as the existence of weekly inspections in schools where Operation Protective Education took place.
The decision not to continue employing the Corona trustees was made at the end of last month, in a discussion held by the Defense Commissioner of Defense, Moshe Edri, in preparation for another wave of illness. At the hearing it was agreed that the termination of the employment of the corona trustees in the local authorities, who are also expected to end their term at the end of the month, will be reconsidered in the last week of March.

The rise in corona virus morbidity in recent days, and the fear from of a sixth wave, has led the Ministry of Health to consider returning the PCR test to those returning to Israel, even before boarding the plane. The new proposal comes in light of data from officials in the Ministry of Health, who say that hundreds of verified people are discovered among passengers entering Israel every day. Immediately after it is France with 2% (about 760 verified). The United Arab Emirates is also high on the list, with 3% of its returnees being found to be infected with the virus (about 700 people). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health updated the data tonight The latest corona, which shows that 9,145 Israelis have been authenticated to the corona since midnight, the number of active patients now stands at 49,349, with 327 in critical condition and 146 respirators, with 10,431 deaths.
The percentage of positive tests in the last day was 21.14% out of 36,891 tests for the virus that were conducted yesterday across the country. The coefficient of infection recorded only a slight decrease, when it decreased from 1.2 to 1.1.

The corona plague has returned to us extensively: the infection coefficient R, which was just below 1 for two months, continued to rise even on Saturday and stood last week at 1.02 - indicating the corona plague is spreading again. Corona's outreach staff said a similar trend, of the epidemic spreading, had been observed in many countries in Europe as well. They added a series of recommendations: "What should be done now? Maintain caution. Vaccines are valid, wearing a mask in enclosed spaces, maintaining distance and extreme caution when meeting adults and people at risk and testing and avoiding exposure if not feeling well or having symptoms. Note: Even if ignored "The corona will not disappear. To live next to the virus does not mean to live as if there is no virus."
Also over the weekend, thousands of Israelis were diagnosed as positive for Corona. Yesterday, 7,081 people were diagnosed as positive for the virus and the rate of positive was almost 16% - a figure higher than in recent days. Today, according to the Ministry of Health, another 3,896 positive for the virus have been diagnosed. According to data last week, an average of 6,238 verified per day were diagnosed and this week the number rose to 6,605.
But not only has the infection rate increased, but so has the number of serious patients. According to the Ministry of Health, in hospitals around the country, 326 patients are hospitalized in critical condition, compared with 291 at the beginning of Shabbat. 133 critically ill patients are connected to respirators.
The Ministry of Health also updated that the number of deaths since the outbreak of the plague stands at 10,419, after 26 corona patients died this week, but the number is expected to be higher due to a late update of data from the Ministry of Health.
The number of active patients has also risen to 43,600, with the vast majority in a mild and very mild condition. In the three major cities there has been an increase compared to last week in the number of active patients. In Tel Aviv-Yafo there was an increase of 3%, in Jerusalem the number of active patients increased by 4% and in Haifa by 8%.
Corona projector Professor Salman Zarqa said in closed-door talks today that information about the coefficient of infection is "dirty." He said, "We do not know what the true size of the verified is really, and estimate that the true number is double what we know.
Zarqa added that the Ministry of Health estimates that "this is still the end of the fifth wave and not the sixth wave, as at the end of the previous waves after the relief came an increase and then it moderated. If the increase continues, we are of course in trouble, Restricted. "
On Wednesday, two cases of verification in a combined strain of Omicron and BA2 were discovered in Israel. According to an announcement from the Ministry of Health, the strain, which was discovered during a PCR test at Ben Gurion Airport at the entrance to Israel, is not yet known in the world.
The two who were found to carry the combined strain, two family members, suffered from mild symptoms of fever, headaches and muscle aches, and did not require special medical attention. The health ministry said it "continues to monitor the flooring results and will continue to update as needed".
In Tel Aviv-Yafo 3,517 active patients, in Jerusalem 1,899, in Haifa 1,642, in Petah Tikva 1,552, in Rishon Lezion 1,376, in Be'er Sheva 1,286, in Ramat Gan 1,162, in Holon 1,019, in Netanya 958, in Kfar Saba 927, in Rehovot 905, in Ashdod 824, in Herzliya 820, in Modi'in- Maccabim-Reut 818, Raanana 752, Ashkelon 728, Hod Hasharon 580, Bat Yam 578, Hadera 528 and Givatayim 520.