Another 38 Israeli covid victims die in past 24 hours
Israel’s coronavirus death toll rose on Friday morning by 38 fatalities to a total of 1,629. According to Health Ministry figures, 7,643 new cases boosted the number of infections to 756,071, including 790,941 active cases. The number of seriously ill jumped by 42 to 849. The success of the current lockdown in finally bringing those numbers down will be evaluated at the end of next week, when its effectiveness should fully kick in. The traditionally joyous Succoth and Simhat Tora festivals are bedeviled this year by severe restrictions on gatherings of family, friends and worshipers in an effort to contain the pandemic’s relentless spread.