According to the latest data published by the Israeli Health Ministry, out of 1.82 million Israelis inoculated by early February only 1,248, 0.07%, tested positive for COVID-19 by February 25. Hence, only one in 1,500 fully vaccinated Israelis tested positive. This latest data provides the strongest indication yet that mass vaccination will eventually empty the COVID-19 wards in hospitals around the world.
As of today, Israel’s hospitals are still stretched thin treating almost 1,100 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but even in this regard, there is a silver lining, since the vast majority of patients are unvaccinated, indicating that as the country’s vaccination drive steams on, COVID-19 patient numbers are likely to drop significantly.
“This data indicates that in a theoretical situation where we have 100% vaccine coverage, we would only need a few dozen COVID-19 beds in the entire country, and only a handful for patients in serious condition,” said Prof. Eyal Leshem, Director of the Travel & Tropical Medicine Center at Sheba Medical Center. According to Prof. Leshem, the drastic reduction in ventilator use among Israel’s most vaccinated age group, those 70+, shows that serious coronavirus illness has become an almost entirely avoidable phenomenon: “It indicates that people who are not getting vaccinated are akin to people who drive without safety belts,” he stated.
