The coronavirus is back in Israel, according to Healthy Ministry reports showing a continued increase in the scope of the disease in Israel, which is reflected both in the number of hospitalized patients, with an emphasis on those hospitalized in serious condition, and in the percentage of positive tests.
In the second week of June, 49 positive corona patients were diagnosed daily on average, the following week 77 confirmed cases were diagnosed, and last week the number jumped to an average of 100 confirmed cases per day.
According to health ministry data, the number of people hospitalized with Corona is now more than 150, about 40% more than at the beginning of June. As of now, 9 patients are hospitalized in serious condition, 4 in moderate condition, and 40 in mild condition.
Meanwhile, the West Nile fever, transmitted by mosquitoes, this year marks the largest wave of the disease known to Israeli doctors so far. In recent weeks, 21 people were diagnosed with West Nile fever, of which 17 were hospitalized with neurological symptoms, and three of them are on respirators. This is the number of West Nile fever patients that are usually monitored in Israel over an entire year, with the peak of the disease usually detected at the height of summer.
The Jewish Press reported on Monday that seven Israelis have died from West Nile fever, and at least 81 have so far been diagnosed with the disease, according to the latest update from the Health Ministry (Seven Israelis Die, 81 Infected with West Nile Virus).
The corona continues to mutate, and now two new strains are becoming dominant in the world. The World Health Organization reports that the strains of the FLiRT family, distant descendants of the Omicron, have become the leading strains – further evidence that the corona is not expected to disappear from the earth, probably for many years.
The new strains are more contagious, but at this stage, the symptoms are similar to previous strains. Both are called FLiRT after their type of mutation and are a new group of the omicron lineage. They arouse interest due to the fear of a new wave of infections this summer. The two main strains that started to spread are called KP1 and KP2, and they are considered more contagious than previous versions of the Omicron strains.
Common symptoms include, as in previous COVID-19 strains, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headaches, and gastrointestinal disturbances. The updated vaccines against the Omicron variants are also believed to be effective against the new strains. In Israel, the KP2 strain, which is less common in the US, has already been identified, while the KP1 variant has been detected at low levels.
