Nearly 1,000 (998) Israelis have died of the coronavirus since the beginning of January 2021, the Health Ministry reported Sunday morning, marking January as the month with the most coronavirus deaths. October 2020 saw 961 COVID fatalities.
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The ministry reported that of the 30,832 tests it administered on Saturday, 2,394 or 8% came back positive.
As of Sunday morning, there were 75,053 active cases in the country. A total of 1,914 COVID patients were hospitalized, 426 in critical condition, and 316 on ventilators. Israel has reported 595,097 cases and 4,361 deaths since the pandemic reached Israel early last year.
Nevertheless, there is hope that the country might be headed towards normalcy. Health Ministry Director General Professor Hezi Levi said in an interview on Sunday morning that the third lockdown would not be extended after next Sunday and that hopefully, at this stage, they can begin to gradually exit the current lockdown.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, however, that the country was not out of the woods just yet.
"The morbidity rate is decreasing very slowly. Most likely, it has to do with the mutations but also incompliance with the lockdown rules, Edelstein said, calling on Israelis to adhere to the lockdown guidelines.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled on Sunday to present to the government a proposal to cease all international flights to and from Israel for two weeks, with the aim of stopping any additional coronavirus mutations from entering the country.
At the same time, the Knesset is set to hold the first hearing of the "fines bill" that was proposed to the government earlier but was stuck in limbo. The bill proposes to increase the fines for those who violate coronavirus and lockdown regulations.
Netanyahu asked Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin to bring forward the hearing of the bill. The aim is to hold the first hearing on Monday and pass the bill as quickly as possible. The prime minister's request most likely stems from the public criticism against him for being lenient with fining the ultra-Orthodox sector for violating the lockdown regulations.
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