Israel Posts Record Number of Coronavirus Hospitalizations

The Health Ministry reported Sunday evening a record-high number of coronavirus patients – 1,668 – who are receiving treatment in hospitals.

890 patients are hospitalized in serious condition, among them 215 patients receiving respiratory assistance from ventilators.

The country’s coronavirus-related death toll rose to 1,707 fatalities.

Health authorities have conducted 12,149 coronavirus tests by Sunday evening, a relatively low figure for a Sunday, and one of every ten tests yielded a positive result. These numbers, alongside figures from previous days, continue a declining trend in the national coronavirus infection rate – dropping from an alarming 15% to a mere 10% within days.

The number of active coronavirus cases has also dropped under the 70,000 mark for the first time in weeks and now stands at 69,248 patients who are still battling the virus.

Israel is ranked fifth in the world in the number of coronavirus infections per capita as one of every 35 Israelis have contracted the pathogen this year.

In comparison, one in every 44 civilians in the United States have contracted the virus, one in every 107 in Sweden, and one in 186 civilians in Italy.