For the first time since late December, the number of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Israel has dropped to less than 600, the Ministry of Health reported Tuesday night.
According to data from the ministry, 586 Israelis were hospitalized in a serious condition with coronavirus and 208 of them were connected to ventilators for respiratory assistance.
Of the approximately 40,000 coronavirus tests performed in the previous 24 hours, 2.3% tested positive, representing 905 new cases.
The national number of COVID-19 deaths has reached 6,047 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Israel, with 272 Israelis succumbing to the disease since the beginning of March.
Also on Tuesday, another 8,500 Israelis received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since midnight and more than 32,000 others received the second booster injection. In total, more than 55% of Israelis were vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine and 46.5% also received the second injection.
The official said at a hearing by the Knesset Finance Committee that the state must spend another NIS 2.5 billion to buy another round of vaccines, if needed during the summer.
The green pass issued to Israelis who received both doses of the vaccine or recovered from the disease is only valid for six months.
If his calculations are correct, the country will need an additional 5 million doses to fully vaccinate the rest of its adult population, as well as Palestinian and foreign workers who are allowed to work in Israel, which would cost about NIS 900 million.