Israel has overtaken China when it comes to the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, after surpassing 85,000 diagnoses since the start of the outbreak in the country, health officials said Tuesday.
The Health Ministry reported that on Monday another 1,641 people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 85,354. The number of active patients currently ill with the disease now stands at 24,714.
At least 22,833 tests had been carried out on Monday, putting the contagion rate at 7%, indicating a slight stabilization of the spread.
The ministry said that 381 patients are now in a serious condition, of which 110 are ventilated. Another seven people have died from coronavirus-related complications since midnight, bringing the overall death toll to 619.
On Monday, health officials said Jerusalem still boasts the highest number of new coronavirus cases, with 1,708 diagnoses reported over the past week.
The capital city is followed by Bnei Brak with 730, the Haredi settlement of Modi'in Illit with 592, Ashdod with 334 and Tel Aviv with 301.
The Druze village of Yarka in northern Israel, which has a population of just 16,747, emerged as the latest coronavirus hotspot, with 175 new COVID-19 cases reported over the past week. Since the start of the outbreak in March and until August, only 23 cases of the virus had been recorded in the village.