The number of seriously ill corona in Israel has exceeded the 200 mark for the first time since April.
Of a total of 362 patients treated in the hospital, 212 were seriously ill, the Ministry of Health announced in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
37 need artificial ventilation.
At the height of the pandemic in Israel in January, the number of seriously ill people had been around 1,200.
Despite high vaccinations, the number of new corona infections reported within one day has been more than 2000 for six days in a row. On Saturday, 2435 new infections were registered within 24 hours - a new high since March. Almost 58 percent of the 9.3 million Israelis are fully vaccinated. Of people over 50 years of age, it is as much as 88 percent. According to the Ministry of Health, the effectiveness of the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine used in Israel has declined significantly since the beginning of June.
That is why all people over the age of 60 can be vaccinated against the coronavirus for the third time from Sunday if their second vaccination was at least five months ago. A team of experts had recommended such a booster vaccination with the BioNTech Pfizer preparation, although there is still no corresponding specification from the FDA. Vaccinations are also allowed for children between the ages of five and eleven, who are at a particularly high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying in the event of an infection. Vaccinations have been open to children from the age of twelve since the beginning of June.
Despite an intensive vaccination campaign, the number of new infections is rising again in Israel.
Therefore the government decided to go it alone with the booster vaccines with the vaccine from BioNTech / Pfizer.
For travelers who do not have their food focus in Israel, an entry ban still applies. *
One million people in Israel are denied vaccination
Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Israel took to the streets against the government's latest corona measures.
Several protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday waved a banner that read "There is no pandemic, it is a hoax".
They denounced the corona vaccinations on posters by associating the vaccine with the Third Reich, among other things.
One of the measures is that the mask requirement indoors was reintroduced in the face of increasing infections.
A vaccination certificate is also required to enter closed rooms in fitness studios, restaurants or hotels.
Almost 60 percent of Israel's 9.3 million residents are fully vaccinated against the virus.
However, around one million people still refuse to be vaccinated.
* Correction: An earlier version of this news item stated that vaccinated tourists would be allowed to re-enter Israel from Sunday. This is still not the case. Please excuse the mistake. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office (here).