The Israeli Health Ministry reported Saturday that 621 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-Cov-2, the novel coronavirus, were diagnosed over the past 24 hours.
There are now 6,102 Israelis currently ill with the coronavirus; of those, 41 are in very serious condition, including 23 who require ventilator support.
The death toll on Saturday rose to 317 after five more Israelis succumbed to the illness, including Israel’s youngest victim to date, a 19-year-old woman who suffered from severe underlying health conditions.
This past week, the Health Ministry and the Coronavirus Cabinet approved several local “red zone” designations, including in the coastal cities of Ashdod and Bat Yam, and in the southern Bedouin city of Rahat and in the Bedouin Negev town of Ara’ara.
The Coronavirus Cabinet is set to meet again Sunday to discuss implementation of another set of restrictions designed to curtail the skyrocketing spread of the virus in Israel.