3,594 people tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday in Israel, the Ministry of Health reports, up from 2,871 on Sunday and up nearly 60% week-on-week from 2,284 last Monday. A record 86,857 tests were carried out yesterday with 4.2% proving positive. This is the highest number of new daily infections since early October.
There are currently 472 people seriously ill with the virus in hospital, up from 456 yesterday, including 119 on ventilators. 378,259 Israelis have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, 4.1% of Israel's population, and 3,111 people have died, including 10 over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health reports.
The coronavirus cabinet met yesterday and imposed new restrictions on people entering Israel from abroad but made no decision about tightening restrictions on stores and schools. According to computational biologist Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science, if no new restrictions are introduced, then the number of new daily cases will rise to 6,000 within two weeks.
Meanwhile the vaccination drive is underway and the health funds say they have fixed appointments for 200,000 over the age of 60.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 22, 2020
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