For the first time in months, the number of active coronavirus patients in Tel Aviv has surpassed the number of people currently ill with the disease in Bnei Brak. The Haredi city has remained one of the biggest COVID-19 hotspots in the country throughout the pandemic.
The Health Ministry reported Thursday the number of active patients in the country now stands at 11,914, nearly six times lower than the same figure at the start of this month.
At least 1,732 of them live in Jerusalem, 552 reside in Tel Aviv and 530 in Bnei Brak.
The ministry also said that on Wednesday they conducted 34,494 COVID-19 tests, 688 of which came back positive, putting the contagion rate at 1.9%.
The number of patients in serious condition now stands at 464, of whom 199 are ventilated. The official death toll has increased to 2,494.
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Coronavirus ward at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit )
In the meantime, Israel's coronavirus cabinet is set to convene later in the day to discuss the possibility of further easing the lockdown curbs. Finance Minister Israel Katz has demanded for trade to partially reopen as soon as next week, a move which health authorities strongly oppose.
On November 1, Israel is set to reopen schools for grades 1-4 as well as allow "one-on-one" treatments at hair and beauty salons.