Coronavirus commissioner Professor Ronni Gamzu warned Thursday that Israel's corona morbidity rate was among the highest in the world.
Israel has recorded 78,514 cases of the virus since the global pandemic hit the country in mid-March. COVID-19 has so far claimed the lives of 569 Israelis, while 53,362 patients have recovered from the disease.
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Between Wednesday and Thursday, 5,600 blood samples were tested and 1,689 of them came back positive for the coronavirus, the ministry said.
It should be noted that a study released last week by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has found that Israel's COVID-19 mortality rate is among the lowest in the world.
Gamzu warned that "a situation where over 1,600 people are diagnosed with coronavirus every day is bound to overwhelm the healthcare system and that will eventually happen."
He noted that the Health Ministry's goal is to have no more than a few hundred new patients a day by Sept. 1, saying, "That's a tall order, but it's very important to the economy and to public health."
Meanwhile, a survey held by the IDF's Home Front Command found that the public has little confidence that the government and local authorities would be able to navigate the corona crisis successfully.
The poll found that only 17% of the public fully understand the government's health directives with respect to preventing the spread of the virus, while a staggering 83% of the population finds them too confusing to follow.
Only 19% said they have faith in authorities' ability to handle the coronavirus crisis, while 22% said they were "concerned" by the government's ability to successfully navigate the situation.
Thirty-six percent of respondents said they believe they could weather a prolonged crisis, 31% are concerned about their financial situation, and 16% are troubled by potential implications on their health.
The survey included a representative sample of 700 respondents. The Home Front Command has been holding it as part of its routine population studies, which seek to help it focus its activities in dealing with the corona crisis.
The military said the data has been handed over to the General Staff, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, as well as to the ministers comprising the corona cabinet.
Officials familiar with the data told Israel Hayom that the results "indicate a new low in terms of the public's confidence in state authorities."
The data indicates an "urgent need for different conduct in order to restore public confidence, which is critical to the continued fight against the virus," one official said.
"This would require a dramatic change in the decision-making process and how they are conveyed to the public, as well as proven achievements in lowering infection and morbidity rates."
Also on Wednesday, the corona cabinet voted to open the country's sky for travelers starting mid-August.
The vote also saw weekend restrictions imposed on business activities lifted.
In related news, 74-year old Marina Chivatova was released from Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center this week, after having spent no less than 99 days in its Coronavirus Unit.
This is believed to be the longest stay anywhere in the world for a hospitalized Corona patient.
Dr. Ramzi Kourd, director of the Coronavirus Unit at Shaare Zedek said, "We're thrilled to see how Marina has recovered and is being released. Over the course of this lengthy stay, she and her family have become integral parts of the Unit and we're happy to see her returning home."
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