For the second time in the space of a week, the number of new corona cases in Israel topped 1,000, with 1,057 people testing positive between midnight Sunday and midnight Monday.
The last 24 hours have seen two more Israelis succumb to coronavirus, bringing the nation's death toll to 338.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to Health Ministry figures published Tuesday morning, there are currently 12,717 "active" or symptomatic corona patients in Israel, 358 of whom are hospitalized, 25 more than were hospitalized on Monday. Of the 85 hospitalized patients listed in serious condition, 35 are on ventilators. The number of patients listed in moderate condition also rose, from 68 on Monday to 85 as of Tuesday morning.
A total of 18,131 Israelis who contracted coronavirus have recovered.
In the 24 hours from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, 23,046 tests were conducted.
The number of medical personnel and health care workers in quarantine is also rising and stands at 2,340, including 338 doctors and 614 nurses.
Jerusalem leads the list of cities with the most corona cases (5,682) as of Tuesday, followed by Bnei Brak (4,007), and Tel Aviv-Jaffa (1,913). Ashdod has 1,070 confirmed cases of coronavirus; Beit Shemesh has 771; Petah Tikva has 677; Bat Yam has 630, and Modiin Illit has 633.
A report issued by the Corona National Information and Knowledge Center on Tuesday said that rapid antigen tests could increase the tools Israel can use to identify and cut off outbreaks.
According to the report, such tools are necessary in order to restore economic and social activity to pre-corona levels.
Antigen tests are designed to identify active infection, as are PCR tests for coronavirus antigens, but are faster and cheaper than PCR testing. However, antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests.
In contrast to the molecular and serological tests in widespread use, antigen tests make it relatively easy to identify the presence of the virus itself, rather than seeking out the body's immune response – which means that the tests only turn out positive for actual carriers of the virus, and not for people who have merely been exposed to it.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
