Thirty-one new coronavirus-related fatalities were reported across Israel on Thursday as 7,639 new cases of the virus were diagnosed, the Health Ministry reported on Friday.
Of the 64,458 administered tests,12.3% came back positive – down from 13.4% of tests returned Wednesday and 15.1% of tests which came back Tuesday and 15.0% of tests on Monday.
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The total number of coronavirus-related fatalities rose to 1,622 Thursday night, after hitting a record high number of daily fatalities Tuesday with 39 deaths and 36 fatalities on Wednesday.
As of Friday morning, there were at least 70,660 active cases of the virus, of which 64,524 are being treated at home or in coronavirus hotels. A further 1,518 patients are hospitalized – 807 are in serious condition, 268 are in moderate condition, and 196 are on respirators.
Since the pandemic began, 255,771 people in Israel have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, including 183,488 patients who recovered from the virus.
Meanwhile, coronavirus commissioner Professor Roni Gamzu said that Health Ministry data shows that 40% of all recent coronavirus infections have come from the ultra-Orthodox sector.
The Haredi public constitutes only about 12% of the population.
"We received bad news in terms of the scope of morbidity in the Haredi sector. The number of infections in the Haredi sector is around 40% of the confirmed cases in recent days. We are troubled by the number of patients over the age of 60 in Haredi society. The violations on the part of the Haredim are extending the lockdown," he said.
Gamzu also said the surge in cases on Wednesday was due to a lag from the weekend and Yom Kippur, when most testing centers and labs were closed.
Asked whether former Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov would replace him as head of the national effort to fight the pandemic, Gamzu said that he would be a good choice for the job.
"Bar Siman-Tov is my friend … There has been dialogue with Moshe while I have been managing the crisis. If it is decided that he will be the next virus commissioner, I will be happy. I'm sure it will be a good thing. It is a job that requires a lot of resistance and he can handle it," Gamzu said.
Bar Siman-Tov headed the Health Ministry when the pandemic erupted and was the face of Israel's widely touted response during the first wave. He resigned as director-general of the ministry in May, days after the cabinet voted, against his recommendation, to significantly ease coronavirus restrictions throughout the country.
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