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Israel is preparing to take steps that will reduce the growing burden on the health system, as the number of cases has increased exponentially in recent days with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, reports Anadolu Agency (AA).
According to official statements of the Israeli government and information published in the local press, it is reported that changes will be made in testing practices due to the increase in density in health centers with the increase in the number of cases in recent days.
Accordingly, in the testing centers under the Ministry of Health, not only those who have been vaccinated, but also those who have been in contact with the infected, who have not been vaccinated, will be allowed to perform rapid antigen testing in the country of PCR testing.
The intensity experienced in the test centers is shown as the cause for change. While the number of cases is expected to increase further in the coming days, there are fears that the health system will not be able to cope with this burden.
Long queues form in many testing centers in the country, with some Israelis waiting for hours to be tested. In front of the centers where the test for COVID-19 is performed by the vehicle, there are queues of vehicles that stretch for kilometers and impede traffic.
With the new change, the government will limit the number of people qualified for testing by giving priority to those in high-risk groups and those working in critical industries.
– The number of cases with COVID-19 is increasing exponentially
In the week between December 19 and 26, a total of 9,081 cases were detected and in the last week (December 26-January 2) 26,857 cases were detected. According to the latest data, the number of cases has increased almost three times more.
The number of cases in the last 24 hours has been recorded as 6,576.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that there would be a much larger increase in the number of infected in the period of the fifth wave of the pandemic, in which the highly contagious variant Omicron was discovered.
In his speech at the weekly cabinet meeting on January 2, Bennett said that “very soon, tens of thousands of cases a day will be discovered” in the country.
Drawing attention to the intensity that will occur in the health system, the Israeli Prime Minister said: “It should be noted that, in parallel with the expected increase in the crowd in hospitals, it will be very difficult to logically manage tens of thousands of confirmed cases in a days. “In short, the storm is coming at us now.”
Stating that the Omicron variant is different from previous variants, Bennnett said: “Therefore, it is imperative that we rearrange everything we know about the coronavirus so far.”
– No concessions will be made to the economy
On the other hand, the Israeli government is determined not to make concessions that will ruin the economy to fight the pandemic.
Prime Minister Bennett said that as part of the measures they have started to apply the fourth dose of the vaccine, have provided approved drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 and that they will give priority to individuals vulnerable to the virus.
Bennett stressed that within these measures, the biggest goal is for the economy to function as well as possible.
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