Positive virus test rate continues to drop as COVID spread appears to slow
Health Ministry figures released on Thursday morning appeared to confirm a slowdown in the rate of coronavirus infection spread across the country with the percentage of positive test results at its lowest for weeks.
Of the 45,317 virus tests completed on Wednesday, just 9.1% were positive, matching the lowest number seen since September 16. Ministry figures also showed that there had been no new deaths overnight, and the number of patients in serious condition had dropped below 850 for the first time since October 4.
The results appeared to indicate that a three-week lockdown was having the intended effect of bringing the country’s infection rate under control, despite widespread refusal in some communities to conform with rules forbidding gatherings. Officials have said the numbers are cause for “cautious optimism,” but maintain that the lockdown will remain in place until at least mid-October out of fears the trend may reverse.
According to Health Ministry figures, there were 4,117 virus cases confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the number of active cases to 61,049, the lowest number since September 25. Of the 1,576 hospitalized patients, 847 were in serious condition with 236 on ventilators. The death toll stood at 1,824.
Since the beginning of the outbreak 282,872 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, of which 219,998 have recovered.
Israel has seen the share of tests coming back positive slacken steadily since spiking to over 15 percent in the last days of September.
The positivity rate is seen as a key metric for measuring the spread of the virus, given uneven day-to-day total testing numbers.
For the first three weeks of September, the positivity rate had hovered between 7% and 10% before beginning to spike on September 20.
On Tuesday, the positivity rate hit 10.5%, at the time the lowest number since the 9.1% recorded on September 19.
While the number of new infections and positive test rates have dropped since a record 9,053 cases were recorded last Wednesday, so too has the number of daily tests, likely due to the holiday period. Testing numbers often fall off considerably on weekends or holidays.
The current lockdown, Israel’s second since the pandemic started, began on September 18 before Rosh Hashanah and was tightened a week later. It is currently set to end on October 14.
It has been marked by clashes between enforcing police and ultra-Orthodox protesters, as well as between police and anti-government protesters who are calling for Netanyahu’s resignation due to his ongoing corruption trial and the government’s handling of the virus outbreak.
Ministers are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss either easing some of the restrictions or extending the measures. The meeting had been set for Monday but the date was set back by one day, drawing anger from some lawmakers, who are pushing for a swift reopening of the economy.