Israel's active virus cases dip below 4,000 amid fears of second wave

28 new COVID-19 infections recorded in 24 hours; no deaths reported since Wednesday

The number of Israelis with COVID-19 dropped below 4,000 on Thursday, with over 12,000 having recovered from the disease since the outbreak in March, according to the Health Ministry.

Twenty-eight new cases were diagnosed in the previous 24 hours, the ministry data showed, making it nearly a week of under 50 daily confirmed infections.

However, the figure was an uptick from a day earlier, when the ministry recorded just 13 new infections nationwide between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the lowest number of daily cases since the outbreak began in March.

No deaths were reported since Wednesday night, keeping the toll at 264.

Of those ill with the virus, 62 were in serious condition, 52 of them on ventilators. Another 43 were in moderate condition with the rest displaying mild symptoms, the ministry said.

Overall, 16,567 people have contracted the virus. The ministry said 12,364 have recovered and there were 3,939 active cases.

It said 7,130 virus tests were conducted Wednesday, slightly lower than Tuesday’s rate of 7,528 tests.

The number of new infections has slowed dramatically in recent weeks. Israel has gone 11 days without seeing over 100 new confirmed cases in a single day.

Amid the sustained drop in infections, the government has increasingly rolled back restrictions meant to curb the outbreak, opening some schools and allowing many businesses to reopen, and was reportedly planning more such measures.

However, authorities were bracing for a possible second wave of infections after thousands of ultra-Orthodox men gathered Monday night and Tuesday in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Mount Meron to celebrate Lag B’Omer in violation of guidelines.

Hundreds also gathered at a funeral Tuesday for an IDF soldier killed during a West Bank raid. Additional violations have been reported across the country, from passengers crowded on a domestic flight to Eilat to beach-goers who ignored the closure of the shores amid unseasonably sweltering weather.