Israel reported 1,689 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday as the infection rate finally saw a slight drop, health officials confirmed.
The Health Ministry said medical teams conducted 25,457 COVID-19 tests on Wednesday, putting the contagion rate at 6.6%, lowest it has been in weeks.
The ministry added 345 patients are now in a serious condition, of which 100 are ventilated. The death toll from coronavirus-related complications has increased to 569.
The number of active patients now stands at 24,576, with the tally of confirmed diagnoses since the start of the outbreak climbing to 78,514.
In the meantime, a coronavirus patient was released from The Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem after 99 days of hospitalization, the longest a COVID-19 patient spent in a hospital anywhere in the world.
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Coronavirus patient, 74, released from Jerusalem hospital after 99 days
(Photo: Yael Friedson )
Marina Chibatova, 74, tested negative for the virus earlier this week after spending more than three months at the hospital's coronavirus ward.
"We are so happy that Marina has recovered and is being released today," said the head of the coronavirus ward at the hospital. "During her hospitalization she has become part of the ward and we are happy for her and her family that she is returning home healthy."