The coronavirus infection rate continues to surge, with the number of new infections diagnosed in a 24-hour period rising to 8,308 on Monday, according to data released by the Health Ministry Tuesday morning.
That amounts to an increase of over 3,000 compared to Sunday, when 5,205 new cases were diagnosed.
While the increased number of new cases can be partly attributed to the significant rise in the number of tests conducted – 108,755 on Monday, compared to 78,477 on Sunday – the percentage of tests coming back positive also soared to the highest level in months, with 7.6% of those tested being found to be carrying the virus, up from 6.6% on Sunday and 5.6% on Saturday.
There are now 55,312 active cases of the virus which have been diagnosed, including 1,361 hospitalized patients.
Of those, 764 are in serious or critical condition, with a further 225 in moderate condition.
There are currently 183 patients on respirators.
The death toll now stands at 3,445, with 14 new coronavirus-related fatalities reported Monday.
On Monday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned that despite the progress made to vaccinate Israel’s population, the country appeared to be losing the ‘war’ against the fast-spreading mutation of the coronavirus first identified in the UK.
“We have 1,224,000 people vaccinated thus far. We are winning the vaccine race, but unfortunately are losing the war against the mutation. The rise in the infection rate should worry every public official who needs to remember: our first concern is the public health.”