Israel has recorded 1,022 new coronavirus cases since midnight, the Health Ministry said Thursday evening, as the number of seriously ill patients rose to a record-high 302.
This is the first time since the onset of the pandemic in Israel that over 300 coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in serious condition at the same time. This marks an increase of 29 patients from Wednesday. Among the seriously ill are also 83 patients receiving respiratory assistance from ventilators.
There are currently 33,097 active coronavirus patients in Israel.
Seven Israelis have succumbed to complications of COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, bringing the country's virus-related fatalities to 440.
Health authorities have conducted 18,077 tests for the virus since midnight, 6.4% of which returned positive.
The Defense Ministry said on Thursday it will send a research delegation to India to test out different diagnostic technologies able to determine almost immediately whether a person has been infected with coronavirus.
The ministry says a delegation led by its Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDRD) will travel to India in the coming weeks to experiment with different tests that use voice recordings, breathalyzers, isothermal technology and analysis of polyamino acids
The ministry said the delegation to India will also bring "cutting-edge equipment" donated by the government and the private sector, including ventilators as a sign of goodwill between the countries. The sale and export of such medical equipment are illegal.