Another daily corona report shows an extremely high number of newly diagnosed cases – 1,171 out of just under 8,000 tests that were conducted. This led to another spike in the number of active cases, which is now over 9.000.

The latest wave corresponds with the New Year celebrations and the emergence of the fast spreading omicron variant. Similar reports of extremely high numbers of tests and of newly diagnosed cases have been coming for days, and anecdotal evidence from the social media shows that people who attended gatherings over the New Year are contracting the virus in large numbers.

Six patients died over the past day, the Healthcare Ministry reported. Additionally, four deaths that occurred in the second half of December, were also reported for the first time. The ages of the deceased ranged from 48 to 91.