Israel confirms first Omicron-related death, deceased was double vaccinated against COVID

Amid the Omicron surge across the world, Israel has recently confirmed its first verified fatality from the ‘highly mutated’ COVID-19 variant in the Beersheba city. On Tuesday, December 21, Israel's media reported that an elderly man died at the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba after contracting the Omicron strain. As per Israel's Kan broadcaster, the patient was a 75 years old man who also had pre-existing medical issues. 

Further, the elderly person was reported to have received only two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination, with no third booster injection. The last dosage of the vaccination was given to the individual about six months ago. Requests for confirmation from the Health Ministry and Soroka were not immediately returned. The Israeli Ministry of Health previously said that there were approximately 340 known cases of Omicron in the nation. 

Indicating the rise in COVID cases in the nation, Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, warned on Sunday that the country's fifth COVID wave has started, i24 News reported. As per Worldometers, over 1,357,974 individuals have been affected by the disease in the nation since the outbreak, and more than 8,232 people have lost their lives due to Coronavirus. The number of active cases in the nation is 8,322, while 1,341,420 have recovered.  

Nations on Israel's 'Red List'

In addition to this, the Omicron strain which is spreading swiftly over the world has prompted Israel to impose travel restrictions in order to prevent the virus from spreading further. The Israeli government stated on Monday, December 20, that it is expanding the number of "red" nations on its COVID travel list, adding 10 more nations to the list, including the US, Canada, and Germany. 

 Apart from these nations, earlier on December 15, Israel also imposed travel restrictions on some of the European nations like Ireland, Spain, Norway, Finland, France, Sweden. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also been added to Israel's COVID-19 'red list'. The restriction on foreigners entering the country will be extended until at least December 29. The prohibition, which was initially imposed at the end of November, has now been extended a second time. Over the new Omicron-related worries, Israel has previously red-listed roughly 50 countries, predominantly from Africa, followed by the United Kingdom and Denmark. 

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