Some 122,000 COVID tests conducted nationwide in a 24-hour period returned 7,597 positive results, a positive rate of 6.2%, the Health Ministry reported Friday.
As of Friday morning, there were 64,814 active or symptomatic patients, of whom 1,482 were hospitalized. A total of 901 of the hospitalized patients were list serious condition, and 220 were on ventilators.
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The cumulative death toll from the virus stood at 3,545 since the pandemic reached Israel in the winter of 2020.
Starting at midnight Thursday, Israel entered a tight two-week lockdown in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus, particularly the highly contagious variants.
Public schools were closed and back to distance learning. Restaurants were allowed to sell food only for delivery, without takeout service.
The Health Ministry announced Thursday that COVID-19 tests would no longer be conducted without a doctor's referral.
Coronavirus testing sites have been overwhelmed by increasing test demands in recent weeks. This past week, 644,664 tests were processed.
Israelis will be able to obtain a referral if they exhibit coronavirus symptoms, have come into contact with a COVID patient, or have returned from abroad.
Recovered COVID patients will not need to be tested if they come into contact with a confirmed carrier, unless they exhibit symptoms. The ministry said that anyone with a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of sense of taste or smell, muscle weakness, or any other suspicious symptom, would be eligible for a test.
COVID tests at the Dead Sea and Eilat are canceled as the sites are closed due to the strict lockdown.
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