Coronavirus: Israels Infection rate drops to lowest since second wave – The Jerusalem Post

Several residents of the King Solmon senior living facility in Bnei Brak were diagnosed with
coronavirus over the weekend, the Health Ministry reported.

After one asymptomatic patient was found positive, all residents were screened. In total nine people have the virus – all patients in the same ward.

These nine patients are among the country’s now 72,315 who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. On Saturday, there were 625 people infected, according to a Monday report by the Health Ministry. Less than 8,000 people were screened.

There were 340 people in serious condition Sunday morning, including 96 who were intubated.

Some 531 people have died.

For the first time since the start of the “second wave” the infection rate has fallen below threshold 1 – each contagious person is currently infecting less than one other person, according to former defense minister Naftali Bennett.

“This means that if the Israeli public continues to behave properly, the epidemic will fade,” Bennett said. “It is precisely now that further efforts must be made to eradicate the coronavirus and to rehabilitate the livelihoods of the citizens of Israel.”

A chart by Naftali Bennett showing that each contagious person is now infecting no more than one other person – August 2, 2020
Minister Rafi Peretz was diagnosed with coronavirus over the weekend. As such, three ministers are in isolation: Ze’ev Elkin, Orly Levy and Ya’akov Avitan. In total, five ministers are in isolation, some for coming in contact with other sick people.

Regarding the nursing home: “Understanding that the adults are so fragile, we give priority to leaving the residents who feel well in their nursing home instead of sending them to dedicated coronavirus wards at geriatric medical centers around the country,” explained Prof. Nimrod Maimon head of the Health Ministry’s Magen Avot v’Imahot program. “Leaving the asymptomatic elderly residents in their nursing home is done with the understanding that many seniors prefer to stay in the place they are familiar with, and with caregivers close to and familiar to them.

“From the events of the first wave, we learned that the very transfer of an elderly person from a place known to him to another place causes significant damage to his mental and cognitive state,” he continued. “We also know that the staff who know him in the nursing home are aware of his habits and therefore know how to provide him with all his needs.”

Maimon said that residents and staff will be tested and monitored every four days.

The Magen Avot v’Imahot program was started by Israel’s new coronavirus commissioner,
Prof. Ronni Gamzu.