Deadliest Day of Coronavirus Patients; Ventilated Patients at All-Time High

The Health Ministry on Monday said the tally of coronavirus patients currently connected to ventilators is at an all-time high, while 68 people passed away from the coronavirus in the last day – the deadliest day since the outbreak.

1,878 patients are currently hospitalized with the illness, of whom 1,140 are listed in serious condition. 358 of them are ventilated, the highest the figure has been since the start of the pandemic.

The number of new cases diagnosed on Sunday was 4,868, somewhat lower than the average figure reported over the recent weeks and which likely stems from limited testing. The ministry said over 53,000 coronavirus tests had been conducted on Sunday, of which 9.3% returned positive.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the outbreak on Monday reached the 600,000-mark.

The official death toll now stands at 4,419. The figure of the dead in one day is the highest since Jan. 14, when 59 patients lost their battle with the disease.

On Monday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said that so far more than a million Israelis have already received the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, with 193,000 people vaccinated on Sunday alone.

“Israel continues to lead the rest of the world with 3.7 million vaccinated, and we are starting the week with 200,000 vaccinated a day,” Edelstein said.