Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said Sunday that while the number of new virus cases is increasing, similar increases are not being seen in the number of patients in serious condition, showing that the new strain of Omicron appears to cause no more serious disease than the original variant.
“The number of patients in critical condition has not increased in recent days and this indicates that the new variant is probably causing the same disease as the Omicron. It’s part of living alongside the virus,” Ash told Army Radio.
Israel has seen an increase in the transmission rate and new daily cases in recent days, but hospitalizations of patients in serious condition are holding steady.
According to the latest Health Ministry data, the reproduction rate, or R number, dropped slightly to 1.34.
The figure represents how many people each coronavirus carrier infects, with any reading above 1 indicating the virus is spreading. During late January and February, the number had been below 1, but it began to rise in early March.
Of the 52,161 people who were tested for the virus on Sunday, 23.69% received a positive result — 9,726 cases.
According to the Health Ministry, there were 64,182 active COVID cases, with 9,726 cases confirmed yesterday. Of those cases, 136 were in critical condition, and 117 were on respirators.
The death toll stood at 10,464.
Pandemic impact on mental health
After 2 years of living with COVID-19, the physical toll of the pandemic is evident, in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, but what of the mental effects? Frontline workers and young people have been some of the hardest hit, but no one has escaped the impact of the pandemic. In this Special Feature, Medical News Today investigates how the pandemic has affected mental health worldwide and asked experts how we might address this issue.
In May 2020, the United Nations reported that stress and anxiety levels had risen substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, several waves of COVID-19 have left their mark around the globe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) definesTrusted Source mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”
Mental health issues occur when people cannot cope well with the stresses of life. A pandemic is a stressor that few might have envisaged having to cope with.
Fear and isolation
The fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, together with concern about economic effects, has caused anxiety and stress. Frontline workers, particularly medical professionals, have experienced burnoutTrusted Source and chronic stress from the increased pressure.
Multiple lockdowns, physical distancing, and fear of infection have increased isolation, loneliness, and anxiety, all factors that, according to Lee Chambers, psychologist and founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, are “massive catalysts” for mental health issues.
Thema Bryant, an ordained minister, is taking over leadership of the American Psychological Association at a critical turning point for the field.
The day after the American Psychological Association’s newest leader pitched her vision for the organization to dozens of her colleagues in D.C., she walked into Maryland’s oldest Black church and stepped up to the wooden pulpit where her father and grandfather used to preach.
“Hallelujah,” Thema Bryant, 48, said, smiling as her voice boomed through the century-old sanctuary at the Bethel AME Church in West Baltimore. “It’s good to be home.”
Bryant, who was elected in December to lead the nation’s largest organization for psychologists, grew up in these pews. It was here she first met people who were hurting — from racism, gun violence, addiction — and saw how they could recover.
“You all raised me,” Bryant said, addressing the all-Black congregation for the first time since the pandemic started. “And let me tell you, I’ve not forgotten.”
Movies 2022:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=podut.cerauna-volta-streamit