The coronavirus continued to spread in Israel unabated, according to Health Ministry data published Sunday morning. Of the 41,053 Israelis who were screened for the virus in the past 24 hours, 9,726 (23.69%) tested positive.
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There are 64,182 active cases in the country with 791 patients hospitalized. Of those, 296 are in critical condition.
Israel has reported 3,853,088 COVID cases, including 10,464 deaths, since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.
Thus far, 747,513 Israelis have been vaccinated with four doses, 4,473,494 with three, 6,127,328 with two, and 6,702,084 have received one shot.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by the Clalit Health Services found that a fourth vaccine shot reduced the risk of death by 78% compared in individuals over the age of 60, compared to those who have been inoculated with three jabs. It is the most extensive study to date on the efficacy of the fourth dose.
The research was conducted during the Omicron wave in Israel and included 563,465 participants, all of whom had been inoculated with three jabs. They were divided into two groups, only one of which received the fourth vaccine. The average age of participants was 73. Over half of participants who did not receive the fourth shot as part of the study will do so after the research is completed.
Dr. Doron Netzer, one of the researchers who led the study, said, "The results of the study unequivocally show that the second booster [fourth shot overall] reduces COVID mortality significantly, including the Omicron strain. The results show that the Health Ministry's decision to recommend an additional dose to the elderly population – before it was confirmed by science – saved the lives of many elderly Israelis."
In related news, after producing vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus in record time, researchers and drugmakers shifted their focus on a cure for long COVID, a more elusive target marked by hundreds of various symptoms, according to scientists from the US and Britain.
Researchers say that major pharmaceutical companies are now in talks with scientists about how to target the disease. Long COVID is characterized by symptoms that occur after recovery and last over three months, including fatigue, chest pain, and "brain fog."
It can result from either mild or severe COVID, and is estimated to have already affected one in seven working-age adults in the US.
Public health experts and biotech companies say leading drug companies are crucial in getting a proven treatment for long COVID, which currently afflicts more than 100 million people, according to the World Health Organization.
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"When you look at the numbers for heart failure, for diabetes… that is the ballpark we are talking about," researcher Amitava Banerjee said.
According to a database of global clinical trials, there are fewer than 20 clinical trials underway testing drugs, a handful of which are beyond early stages.
Scientists hope their research will uncover the causes of long COVID and possibly identify medicines that could work as treatments.
"We are getting traction, and for people suffering, we are getting treatments tested," David Strain, a lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, said.
"Hopefully we will have things we can offer them to get their lives back to normal in the near future."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
