Israel sees 371-case spike in confirmed coronavirus cases in a single day
Total of 1,442 patients, including 29 in serious condition, says Health Ministry; 41 of those diagnosed have recovered
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
The number of diagnosed cases of the deadly coronavirus in Israel took another leap Monday, reaching 1,442, an increase of 371 since the day before.
Of those with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, 29 are in serious condition and being treated on ventilators, the Health Ministry said Monday evening.
The increase of 371 appeared to be the biggest single-day jump of confirmed cases of the disease, despite increasingly strict measures to limit public life in the country. One person has died of the disease.
There are 40 patients considered moderately ill with the disease and another 1,331 with mild symptoms, the ministry figures showed. So far 41 people have recovered from the disease which causes fever, coughing and breathing difficulties.
There are 346 patients being treated at hospitals around the country and another 540 receiving treatment at home.
The rapid increase in diagnosed cases comes as Israel boosts its testing for the disease.
The Health Ministry said Monday morning it had tested 3,230 people over the 24 hours previously, having last week ramped up testing to around 2,000 people a day after complaints over the slow pace of the checks.
Israel is reportedly set to announce drastic new restrictions on public movement it hopes will help stanch the spread of the virus, though policy experts expect any effect to only be seen in 10 days or more.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with officials from the Health and Finance ministries as well as other government departments to review implementation of further isolation orders that Hebrew media reported would include a complete shut down of the public transportation system and limiting citizens to straying no further than a couple of hundred meters from their homes, unless they are traveling to or from work or buying essential items. All stores will also be shut, aside from groceries and pharmacies, and police powers to enforce the measures will be ratcheted up.
The discussion about the restrictions, which will reportedly be announced by Tuesday if not earlier, came following a phone call between Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman-Tov and Netanyahu in which the former said that measures already taken were not curbing the spread of the disease, Channel 12 television reported.
Bar Siman-Tov reportedly told Netanyahu that the rate at which cases was increasing is “worrying, it is like the Italian rate.” Italy has seen a massive outbreak of the virus with the highest number of known fatalities in the world at over 6,000 deaths so far.
The Health Ministry has already ordered the public to stay indoors, only venturing out if necessary and banned gatherings of more than 10 people. Universities, schools, kindergartens, and leisure sites have all been closed.
Israel’s first fatality from the virus, 88-year-old Holocaust survivor Aryeh Even, was buried overnight Saturday in a funeral service that was capped at 20 mourners. All present were required to stand at a two-meter (6.5 ft) distance from one another.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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