The number of COVID-19 patients in serious condition rose Saturday to 101, Israel's Health Ministry said.
Friday saw 5,466 new coronavirus diagnoses, bringing the number of active cases to 29,959. Of those, 185 are hospitalized.
Of the 101 in serious condition, there are 42 whose condition is critical, and 11 who are hooked up to ECMO (heart and lung) machines, as well as 27 who are intubated.
Meanwhile, 3.96% of COVID-19 test results Friday received were positive, up from 3.2% on Thursday. As of Saturday evening, initial results indicated that 4.33% of test results received Saturday were positive.
Earlier on Saturday, Hebrew University researchers said that "the quick spread of infection is expected to continue in the coming weeks, so that in the best case scenario, the number of new cases will pass 20,000 in the coming week, and continue to rise in the second week of January."
The researchers also said that the spread of the new variant, together with the infection rates of adults who are not up-to-date on their vaccine, is expected to overburden the hospitals over the course of the month.
Meanwhile, a 37-year-old unvaccinated pregnant woman arrived at Petah Tikva's Beilinson Medical Center after contracting COVID-19. The woman arrived during the 37th week of her third pregnancy, suffering breathing difficulties, and it was decided to admit her to the hospital's COVID-19 ICU.
Her condition is serious and not stable, and she is unconscious and intubated. In the past few days, the doctors were forced to put her on an ECMO (heart and lung) machine, and deliver her baby.
The infant is in stable condition, and he is in the NICU at Schneider Children's Medical Center.