Coronavirus in Israel: less than 300 new cases, 1.7% of tests return positive

While the number of tests administered on Saturdays is systematically lower than on other days of the week, the decrease remains significant because the previous Saturday, some 783 cases were reported and the previous one, some 1,878 cases. The last time Israel recorded such a small number of cases was again on a Saturday, but in October.

The R rate, or reproduction rate, also continued to decline, standing at 0.62. The figure reflects the number of people infected on average by each carrier of the coronavirus. When the number is less than 0.8, the disease is considered to be receding. Experts have been watching the rate closely, to see how the lifting of the restrictions has impacted the disease’s ability to infect. While currently the vast majority of activities have resumed for at least two weeks, the R is declining steadily.

In addition, only four people succumbed to the virus on Saturday, the lowest daily toll in months. Some 6,085 have succumbed to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

Of those infected, 561 were in serious condition and 199 on ventilators. The figures are in line with the previous days.