The majority of new coronavirus cases in Israel is among people aged below 40, a special IDF taskforce said Sunday.
The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center said 1,869 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday after more than 25 tests had been conducted, putting the contagion rate at 7.8%.
According to the center's report, 75% or three out of four people diagnosed on Saturday were at least 39 years old, while only 6% were aged 60 and over.
The virus' reproduction number (R) continues to decline and now stands at 0.85, which means each carrier infects on average less than one person. "However, the infection rate and the burden on hospitals continues to be high," said the taskforce.
The center urged the public to show personal responsibility and adhere to the health restrictions.
"In the coming weeks, there may be a recurring increase in infections, due to the lifting of restrictions and the spread of the British variant, which has long become dominant in Israel. This strain is much more contagious compared to previous strains and according to new studies in the UK it is also 70% -30% more lethal."
In the meantime, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said that so far nearly 2.5 million people have been vaccinated with both vaccine shots.
Over the weekend, 133,000 Israelis were vaccinated and a total of 3,832,000 people in the country have received at least one vaccine jab since the start of the vaccination drive.