The number of Israelis diagnosed with the coronavirus jumped to 1,071, including 18 people in serious condition, the Health Ministry said on Sunday evening.
According to the ministry, the majority of cases (985) are mild, and 30 are moderate. As of Sunday, 37 people have recovered from the disease.
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Some 814 doctors and 900 nurses are currently in quarantine and that 42 medical personnel have tested positive for the virus. Over 60,000 Israelis are currently under home quarantine.
The coronavirus claimed its first Israeli fatality on Friday – 88-year-old Holocaust survivor Aryeh Even, a resident of Jerusalem.
On Sunday, the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem reported that a baby in its neonatal intensive care contracted the virus and is in serious condition.
An official with the Health Ministry said that the spike in the number of diagnosed cases can likely be attributed to the sharp increase in the number of coronavirus tests being conducted daily.
Screening has increased from 500 daily tests to around 2,200. A ministry official said that the number of tests is expected to increase to 3,000 a day this week and 5,000 by the next week, as per Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's instructions.
Health Minister Yakov Litzman said Sunday that he plans to recommend postponing the implementation of daylight savings time, to help keep people off the streets late at night.
Daylight savings time is currently slated to take effect on March 27.
"We are considering postponing daylight saving time," Litzman told Channel 12 News, adding that Interior Minister Aryeh Deri is already working to implement this move.
