Only 10 new virus patients diagnosed in 24 hours, while death toll hits 272

Health Ministry says 3,403 remain sick out of a total 16,617 diagnosed; 44 patients still on ventilators

The Health Ministry said Sunday evening that just 10 people were diagnosed with the virus in the past 24 hours while 76 had recovered during the same period.

A total of 16,617 people have been diagnosed with the COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, of whom 12,942 have recovered.

Since Saturday evening, four more people died of COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 272.

Of the 3,403 patients who still have the virus, 55 are in serious condition, of whom 44 are on ventilators. Another 37 are in moderate condition, with the rest showing only mild symptoms.

Over the past 24 hours there were 1,521 virus tests for the virus carried out, the ministry said.

Israel has the lab capacity to test up to 15,000 people for COVID-19 daily but demand has gone down as fewer suspected cases show up to have swabs taken, the Health Ministry said last month.

The number of new infections has slowed dramatically in recent weeks. Israel has gone 15 days without seeing over 100 new confirmed cases in a single day.

Israeli students and teachers wear protective face masks as they retun to school, at Hashalom School in Mevaseret Zion, near Jerusalem, May 17, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Amid the sustained drop in infections the government has increasingly rolled back restrictions meant to curb the outbreak, aiming to fully reopen schools this week after two months of closure. Schools began part-time classes for small groups of pupils in some grades over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, many businesses have been permitted to reopen and restrictions on public areas have been eased, though social distancing and face masks are still compulsory.

Still, authorities have been 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.

Violations have been reported across the country, from passengers crowded on a domestic flight to Eilat to thousands of beach-goers who ignored the closure of the shores, during unseasonably sweltering weather.