Health Ministry reports 3,735 new cases of coronavirus

National death toll climbs to 5,244 fatalities, 1,031 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in serious condition, of them 336 on ventilators; government approves NIS-2,500 fines on anyone who enters Israel without presenting negative virus test

Yaron Druckman|
Israel has seen 3,735 new cases of coronavirus since midnight, the Health Ministry reported Wednesday evening.
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  • Out of some 50,000 tests conducted the previous day, the daily contagion rate stood at 7.6%.
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    מחלקת קורונה בית חולים הלל יפה חדרה
    מחלקת קורונה בית חולים הלל יפה חדרה
    Coronavirus ward at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera
    (Photo: Gettyimages)
    There were 1,031 COVID-19 patients in serious condition, of them 336 were connected to ventilators.
    Since the onset of the pandemic in Israel, the national death toll climbed to 5,244 fatalities, six of them on Wednesday alone.
    Meanwhile, the government approved Wednesday to levy NIS-2,500 fines on entering Israeli territory without presenting a negative coronavirus test taken in the previous 72 hours starting Sunday.
    In addition, all those entering the country will be required to undergo another coronavirus test upon their arrival, which will be carried out at the border crossing or at state-run quarantine facilities. Violation of this regulation will carry a NIS-3,500 penalty and will take effect within 24 hours.
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    מחלקת הקורונה בהדסה עין כרם
    מחלקת הקורונה בהדסה עין כרם
    Coronavirus ward at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem
    (Photo: Amit Shabi)
    In addition, Israel plans to open up some hotels, gyms and other leisure facilities in two weeks to those documented as being immune to COVID-19, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday, in a possible harbinger of a wider emergence from the pandemic.
    Having administered Pfizer Inc vaccines to almost 40% of its 9 million population, Israel was seeing the first signs of managing to outpace highly contagious virus variants, he added.
    Israel has said it would issue an official app allowing users to link up to their Health Ministry files and show if they have been vaccinated against or recovered from COVID-19, with presumed immunity, in order to gain entry to leisure facilities.
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