More than 4,000 Israelis have died of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in Israel, 80 of them have passed away over the weekend alone, the Health Ministry reported on Sunday.
As the country counts 4,005 victims to the pandemic, 24 of them on Sunday alone, January 2021 became the second deadliest month since the outbreak of the pandemic with 661 deaths recorded so far. Only October 2020 was more prolific with 956 Israelis succumbing to the disease.
Health authorities also reported 3,541 new cases of coronavirus were detected out of 81,044 tests conducted since midnight.
There were 83,104 active coronavirus carriers in Israel and 1,944 COVID-19 patients were receiving treatment across the country's hospitals, with 1,177 of them in serious condition and 282 patients receiving respiratory assistance from ventilators.
Jerusalem had the most active cases of coronavirus with 16,102 patients currently battling the virus. The capital is then followed by Bnei Brak which has listed 4979 active coronavirus patients, Modi'in Illit with 3,300, Beit Shemesh with 2,462, Petah Tikva with 2,305 and Tel Aviv-Jaffa with 2,172.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel's top coronavirus health official Prof. Nachman Ash said Israelis who had been given the second and final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will not be required to go into quarantine after coming in contact with a verified patient a week after receiving it.
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Health worker analyzes coronavirus tests at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem
(Photo: AFP)
In a press briefing, Ash said that the Health Ministry is currently finalizing an online database with all citizens who were inoculated.
Health Ministry Director-General Hezi Levy told hospital officials Sunday that the number of hospitalizations for coronavirus is not expected to decline in the coming two weeks.
Levy also urged medical centers to open more beds in order to accommodate for the continued influx of patients.