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IDF: As many as half of new COVID cases due to Omicron variant

While the new variant seems to cause less hospitalization, given its high transmissibility, hospitals should brace for a spike in admissions, according to a new IDF report.

Shaare Zedek Medical Center staff in the hospital's coronavirus ward in Jerusalem, Sept. 23, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center staff in the hospital’s coronavirus ward in Jerusalem, Sept. 23, 2021. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus now accounts for roughly 50 percent of new coronavirus infections in Israel, according to a report released on Tuesday by the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate.

Among those who have tested positive after traveling abroad, the proportion may be as high as 80 percent, according to the report.

Omicron hospitalizations seem to be lower compared to the Delta variant, however, the report warned that the next weeks could strain hospitals because of the expected spike in cases, combined with the influenza season.

This is a version of an article that first appeared in Israel Hayom.

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