Thread by @fascinatorfun

🇮🇱 COVID infections spike by 50%
501 new coronavirus cases on Monday, ⬆️ 50% from Sunday
The figure is the highest since March 30, when 571 tested positive for the virus

Out of the new infections on Monday, 42% had been vaccinated against the virus haaretz.com/israel-news/co…

74 patients are hospitalized, 43% of whom were fully vaccinated. 5 were added on Monday, including 3 who were vaccinated.

Israel has fully vaccinated c55% of its population with another c10% single dosed

There is a big drive to vax teenagers now (16-19 already vaxxed)

33 patients in serious condition, a decline of 2 from the previous day. The figure includes 17 in critical condition, & 16 who are currently on ventilators (unclear about vax status)

Cases among children aged 0-11 has also quadrupled in the last week.

In contrast, there was no significant increase in cases among youths aged 12-18

Studies suggest that there is a very strong response in the 12-17 yr old group even from a single dose so it will be interesting to see to what extent extending the vax programme to all teens will do

Remember 16-21 year old were being vaxxed in Israel Feb/ March and graphs of cases suggested that as they dropped in those age groups that was soon followed by a drop in the age groups immediately above and below, so hopeful we might see this pattern again.

This surge started from a very low incidence indeed following removal of mask and other restrictions 10 days earlier. Now reimposed.

There’s a good chance that because of this Israel will be able to move nimbly to bring down incidence whilst it expands its vax programme

I guess the question for us in the U.K. is how much heavy lifting can the vax programme do on its own when restrictions are loosened.

Our incidence is NOT a low. We aren’t far off 30k cases today. So any reversal is likely to take longer to take effect

The Gov should know that

It will be good when there is more data on severity of symptomatic cases (by age group and vax status).

Ditto hospitalisations. How many get by with oxygen v ventilation.

So impact on hospitalised severity too.