The baseline number of the virus, or R-value, reached 1.44, as the ministry reported that 3,259 new patients were diagnosed the day before. The R value, which represents the condition 10 days earlier, measures how many people on average infect each coronavirus vector, with any number above 1 indicating that the spread of COVID-19 is increasing. It started to rise above 1 in mid-May, having remained below the threshold for almost two months. Of the 11,606 COVID-19 tests performed on Saturday, 29.77 percent returned positive, the highest percentage since the first week of April. There were 105 patients in serious condition, according to ministry figures. The number of seriously ill patients has been steadily declining since mid-March, but fell last month and is now starting to rise slightly. Get the Times of Israel Daily E-mail and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms Coroner Tsar Salman Zarka told Radio 103FM on Sunday that he did not yet consider the country in full swing, but urged the public to continue wearing face masks. Coronavirus Tsar Salman Zarka was spotted during a press conference near Tel Aviv on November 9, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90) Zarka said that only the “tip of the iceberg” is recorded and that there are a significant number of people who either do not test when they have COVID symptoms or do not report to the authorities if a home test is positive. “We are seeing an increase. “We take it seriously and make assessments,” Zarka said. “It is highly recommended that the public, especially at-risk populations, return to mask use indoors.” However, he said there was no intention at the moment to introduce restrictions on the public as implemented over the past two years. “We are not at a point of limitation. “We are only at the beginning of an ascent,” Zarka said. There are now 25,859 confirmed active patients in the country. Health ministry officials will meet this week to discuss the re-imposition of the indoor mask order, the public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday. The indoor face mask rule, which was one of the last public health orders about the virus, was lifted on April 23rd. Masks are still required in health centers and medical centers. Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz met with health officials and agreed that no new restrictions on the virus would be implemented at this stage. Zarka said at the time that health officials would weigh the possibility of recommending a fifth dose of the vaccine to certain sections of the population, but a health advisory group later said it did not yet recommend the release of another souvenir and said such a decision would be weighed again according to with morbidity rates. Israel has largely abandoned all restrictions on the coronavirus, with the exception of isolation for those who are positive and the requirement for a mask in medical institutions. Israel has been through five waves of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began in 2020. It has made mass vaccination a central strategy for tackling the virus, and Sunday’s figures show that so far, out of a population of about 9.5 million, 6,710 .267 had received at least one dose. Of these, 6,141,921 had a second shot and 4,495,625 had three shots. There are also 814,955 who had taken four doses. Since the pandemic began, 10,872 people in Israel have died from COVID-19. It is not (only) for you. Times of Israel support is not a transaction for an online service such as subscribing to Netflix. The ToI community is reaching out to people like you who are interested in a common good: ensuring that Israel’s balanced, responsible coverage continues to be available to millions around the world, free of charge. Of course, we will remove all ads from your page and give you access to some amazing community-only content. But your support gives you something deeper than that: the pride of being involved in something that really matters. Join the community Times of Israel Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing it You are a devoted reader We’re really glad you read the X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide demanding readers like you with the coverage they need to read about Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not created a paywall. However, as the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers for whom the Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel. For just $ 6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel WITHOUT ADVERTISING, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thanks, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of the Times of Israel Subscribe to our community Subscribe to our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing it
