The Delta variant of the coronavirus has not led to an extreme uptick in serious cases, contrary to public alarm, Health Ministry data obtained by The Jerusalem Post indicated Thursday.
The average age of serious cases on Thursday afternoon was 64, and the majority of people (56%) had some additional underlying medical condition before contracting the virus., the data showed.
However, more than half (53%) of the hospitalized patients had been fully vaccinated.
Looking at those hospitalized, a separate Health Ministry report showed that only two were children, and one was an unvaccinated pregnant woman.
The number of seriously ill patients rises and drops daily based on the status of those hospitalized with the virus. On Thursday morning, there were 46 patients in serious condition, but on Thursday evening, there were 37, the Health Ministry reported.
Many of the patients who are on the list of serious cases were not admitted within the last week, according to the Health Ministry. The Post asked for data on anyone listed as being in serious condition over the past month and found that the majority were infected several weeks ago, before the Delta variant was known to have become predominant.
Moreover, there is a discrepancy between the cases that the hospitals consider serious and those listed by the Health Ministry.
While the ministry showed 46 serious cases, the hospitals said there were 32, the N12 news site reported. The discrepancy is because the ministry counts people who have recovered from the virus but remain in serious condition, and the hospitals count people who test positive for coronavirus.
There are still no COVID-19 patients in 10 Israeli hospitals, N12 reported.
“Serious patients who are suffering from complications from coronavirus are considered COVID-19 patients,” Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy said in a TV interview Thursday evening. “We do not invent serious cases.”
The Health Ministry has been using the same criteria to define serious patients since last July, according to coronavirus commissioner Nachman Ash, who spoke to the press on Wednesday. However, that definition does not really indicate the stress on the health system, according to some medical experts.
Decision-makers should be looking at the number of critical and intubated patients rather than serious cases, since the category of serious includes anyone who needs external assistance to breathe, said Prof. Amit Asa, deputy director of Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital.
“If you really look at those patients, there is not really an increase,” he said in a TV interview. “There is no crowding in the hospitals, and it has been at least a month since the Indian [Delta] variant entered the country.”
If and when there is a spike in the number of critical and intubated patients, “this will be a sign that we are losing control of the outbreak, and then we can call it a fourth wave,” Asa said. “We are not there yet, and there are not any clear indications that we are going to get there anytime soon.”
Yad Sarah reported a 24% increase in demand for portable oxygen tanks in the last week, compared with recent weeks. For three months since February, demand for the tanks has declined 21% every month, but in the last month, the trend has reversed and demand has increased 11%, the organization said.
Two people died from COVID-19 in the past day. The first was an unvaccinated 48-year-old man who was being treated at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. According to the hospital, he did not suffer from any underlying medical conditions other than high blood pressure.
A vaccinated 86-year-old man who was being treated at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa also succumbed. He suffered from underlying medical conditions and had been in critical condition since last week, the hospital reported.