Israel saw its highest ever daily infection rate on Monday, with 9,589 new coronavirus diagnoses despite the stringent lockdown that has been in place since Thursday, and around two weeks of restrictions in some form.
Some 127,000 virus tests were carried out across the country on Monday, yielding a positivity rate of 7.6%.
Israel also crossed the threshold of half a million infections since the start of the outbreak on Monday, becoming the 29th country in the world to do so.
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Medics with a patient on the coronavirus ward at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem
(Photo: AP)
There are currently 1,759 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across Israel, with 1,027 of them in serious condition, including 247 patients who are connected to ventilators.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 3,704 people have succumbed to the disease in Israel, including 19 on Monday.
With the continuing rise in coronavirus infections and deaths, Israel's hospitals are reporting overcrowded wards, overworked staff and a lack of manpower due to quarantine and infections.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 74,639 active COVID cases in Israel, of which 14,650 were in Jerusalem, 3,880 in Bnei Brak, 3,002 in Modi'in Illit, 2,265 in Beit Shemesh, 2,109 in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, 1,983 in Petah Tikva and 1,956 in Haifa.
According to Health Ministry data, areas with a prominent ultra-Orthodox population have seen the highest infection rates over the past seven days: 28% in Beitar Illit; 20% in Elad and Modi'in Illit; 17% in Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh; and 15% in Jerusalem. The mainly Arab city of Nazareth also has an infection rate of 16%.
In Tel Aviv-Jaffa the infection rate is 4%, in Petah Tikva 6%, and in Haifa 7%. There are currently no "green" cities with a low infection rate in Israel.
The national vaccine campaign has also picked up speed after a few days of lull following the delivery of new doses from both Moderna and Pfizer, with 21,611 people receiving the first dose of the two-stage vaccine.
The Health Ministry said that as of Tuesday morning, 1,854,055 people have already received the first dose of the vaccine – 20.9% of the population.
The country has also begun to administer the second dose of the vaccine, which after one week is supposed to provide around 95% immunity to the virus.
The speed with which Israel has rolled out its vaccination campaign has made it the world leader, drawing international attention.
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Public Health chief Dr. Sharon Elrai-Price receives the second shot of the coronavirus vaccine at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva
(Photo: Rabin Medical Center)
The first person to be vaccinated in the second dose in Israel was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who received the jab along with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein.
"In my 17th conversation with my friend the CEO of Pfizer, we agreed on a huge shipment of vaccines to Israel, which will allow us to vaccinate all Israeli citizens over the age of 16 within two months - maximum until March," Netanyahu said last Saturday.
"With this campaign, we can come back to life, open everything up."