The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 23,497 as of Sunday morning, with 6,160 active patients with 45 people in serious condition, of whom 24 are ventilated.

One more death was recorded overnight Motzei Shabbos, raising the death toll to 318.

Two of the fatalities were residents of the Eiden HaZahav nursing home in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Katamon, ages 81 and 99. There have been three fatalities at the home and 24 residents and three staff members have been diagnosed with the virus.

A report by the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center recommended that increased COVID-19 testing be conducted in the cities of Beitar Illit, Ohr Yehudah and Lod.

A meeting of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee was held on Sunday during which a health ministry official admitted that the partial lockdown of Kiryat Sanz in Tiveria was a mistake due to a mistake in the data.

Dr. Anat Tzural-Farber of the Bureau of Public Health Services at the Health Ministry said at the meeting: “There was a specific error in the data. Due to this, we are examining the criteria again and again.”

MK Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) slammed the faulty decision, saying: “Your conduct indicates a total lack of expertise. Closing a city is not a mode of operation. It’s disturbing that over four months you haven’t improved your effectiveness in dealing with the coronavirus.”

The Palestinian Authority is experiencing a spike of new virus cases over the past two weeks. It recorded 67 new cases over the weekend, raising the total number of cases to 1,862, with 11 patients in a serious condition of whom two are ventilated.

Twenty of the new cases were found in Hebron, which has been placed in lockdown along with the city of Shechem, and 33 people were diagnosed in Beit Lechem, which is being placed into lockdown for two days, beginning on Sunday.

One fatality was recorded over the weekend, a Hebron resident in his 70s, raising the total number of fatalities in the PA to seven.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)