Israel recorded 8,280 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with a positive return rate of 11.24% for the 73,671 PCR and antigen tests taken throughout the day, according to a Thursday morning Health Ministry update.
The number of serious cases continues to fall, standing at 510 as of Thursday morning, down from 561 the previous day. Of this number, 218 are in critical condition, with 190 patients intubated and a further 25 connected to ECMO machines.
The number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded in Israel since the start of the pandemic has risen to 10,239 people, with 113 of them occurring within the last seven days.
Roughly 3.65 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in Israel since March 2020, although the real number is estimated to be much higher.
The R-rate has risen slightly to 0.72, a worrying sign that may indicate that the decline of the Omicron wave is slowing.
As of Thursday, there were 1,145 cases of COVID-19 amongst IDF soldiers, all in light condition. As of Wednesday, 763 soldiers were in quarantine.