The reproduction number R reached the alarming 1 - which might show the virus spreads again

The reproduction number R, the way of rating coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread, which is the essential figure for determining the following reliefs, reached 1 Friday for the first time since leaving the quarantine. The last time this level of R was recorded was at the end of September.

Data from the Ministry of Health show that the overall R is 1.0. The figure in general society is 0.94, among the ultra-Orthodox - 0.92, while among Arabs it is higher - 1.07.
According to the outline of the head of public health services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elrai Price, the coefficient should fall from 0.8 to continue with relief.
The third phase of the facilitation includes the opening of shopping and commercial centers, markets, museums, gyms and the expansion of the opening of the education system to fifth-sixth grades as well as 11th-12th grades. The Corona Cabinet that convened yesterday made no decision and in blue and white expressed strong opposition to the idea of ​​a night curfew.
The reproduction number is denoted by the letter R, which is an abbreviation of the word Reproduction. When the R-index is greater than 1, the number of patients increases at an exponential (exponential) rate and multiplies at any given time period. The goal is to reach an R lower than 1, since in such a case one patient infects less than one person.
The Intelligence Division's National Information and Knowledge Center report in Corona states that data from the past two weeks indicate a halt in the decline in morbidity at the national level.

The Ministry of Health announced today (Friday) that 4,288 people were diagnosed with Corona last week - a figure about 5% lower than the week before, when 4,521 people were diagnosed with the virus. Also, 67 people died this week - a significant decrease compared to last week, when 128 people died. The total death toll from the virus now stands at 2,706.
In the last day, 815 people have been diagnosed with corona carriers. Out of 39,028 tests, the positive rate dropped to 2.1%. The test data and their results are not final and may change in subsequent updates from the Ministry of Health.
In addition, the number of respirators is 127 - a decrease of 20 people compared to the previous week, when the number was 147. Last week the number of respirators decreased by 43 people.
The declining trend in the number of patients in critical condition also continues. Compared to 327 such patients in the previous week, there are now 293 - a decrease of 34 patients. For comparison, in the previous week the number of serious patients decreased by 83.
The number of active patients is 7,997, down 961 from last week, when the figure stood at 8,958. Also, 508 corona patients are hospitalized in the hospitals - a decrease of 31 from the previous week.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced last night that the Ministry of Health is expected to sign today with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer an agreement to purchase eight million vaccines against Corona, which will be enough for four million citizens who want to be vaccinated.
The Pfizer vaccine, like the Modern vaccine, does not contain the active virus that causes the disease but uses a small portion of its genetic material, called mRNA. This is a scientific approach originally developed to fight cancer. The vaccine causes the immune system to produce antibodies that attack the prickly protein - which, among other things, gives the corona virus its unique and recognizable form, but it is also the one that allows the virus to penetrate the body's cells that it attacks.

The Ministry of Health on Monday published the quality indices for health services for the years 2013-2019 of general hospitals, geriatric, mental health, milk drops and emergency services, for the seventh year in a row. This is an important project that seeks to determine quantitative metrics in a number of vital parameters related to, for example, rapid treatment of an acute cardiac event (heart attack), providing a rapid response to a stroke or antibiotics after surgery - procedures that have been shown to be life-saving.
This year following the outbreak of the Corona virus epidemic, the publication of the report for 2019 has been questioned, and it does not include the response to the Corona - the event that is now of interest to the entire public.
However, in conversations with senior officials in the Quality and Safety Division, led by Prof. Yaron Niv, who manages the program and publishes the annual report, it appears that the quality indices, which have improved significantly in recent years, were not affected during 2020, despite the additional heavy workload on staff. Medical.
 The report published today by the ministry refers to the health system on the eve of the corona (2019) when the writing of the report for 2020 is in progress. Calcalist has learned that next year we will see new quality indicators that are naturally closely related to this yea