Over 300 coronavirus deaths recorded in last month, as toll hits 708

The number of Israeli coronavirus deaths crossed the 700 mark Tuesday evening, the Health Ministry said, as the number of infections since the start of the pandemic swiftly approached 100,000.

The ministry said 708 fatalities had been recorded since the start of the pandemic, including nine since Tuesday morning.

Ministry figures showed nearly 1,400 new cases had been confirmed since the morning, bringing the number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 96,409.

Hitting the 700 fatality mark came exactly a month after the country reached 400 deaths, underlining the acceleration of the virus’s most harmful effects, even as the nation’s top pandemic official said Tuesday that talk of a lockdown or new restrictions was premature.

Health Ministry figures showed 404 people with COVID-19 were in serious condition, almost double the number of serious cases one month ago, with 117 on ventilators. Another 164 were in moderate condition and the rest had mild or no symptoms.

There were 26,038 tests performed Monday, according to the ministry.

Earlier Tuesday, Health Ministry officials expressed concern over the rising number of people in serious condition.

The ministry’s deputy director, Prof. Itamar Grotto, said during a Knesset committee discussion that while the infection rates have declined somewhat, “I am sorry to have to be a party pooper. The best indicator is the number of serious patients and there are 410 at the moment. We are worried.”

Grotto also expressed unease about the opening of Israeli schools, which is planned for September 1. He said the high infection rates in schools are a concern and that he was particularly hesitant to okay middle and high school studies “because they are a major vector of infections.”

Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu told reporters that he was “losing sleep,” over the looming school openings. He also appeared to entertain the idea of restrictions on movement for the High Holidays next month, though he said it was too early to talk about the matter.

Meanwhile, the health and culture ministries agreed that indoor culture venues will open on September 1, with specific safety rules yet to be agreed upon and published.

The ministries said the venues would open in accordance with an outline determined by Gamzu.

“This step joins the news from last week about returning culture performances to outdoor areas. It’s time to return culture to the indoor venues and revive the culture world,” said Culture Minister Chili Tropper.

The move comes after weeks of growing protests by employees in the culture industry who have been jobless for many months, demanding the reopening of venues.

The so-called coronavirus cabinet of top ministers is set to convene Thursday to discuss rules on gatherings, after a parliamentary panel refused to extend the government regulations on the matter by 28 days.