The number of COVID-19 deaths in Israel reached 16 on Monday, after a 58-year-old man who was hospitalized at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon succumbed to the illness. The man reportedly suffered from serious pre-existing conditions.
The total number of corona patients in Israel now stands at more than 4,600, with 79 hospitalized in serious condition. Of those 79, the vast majority are on ventilators in medically-induced comas. Over 4,000 are listed as light or minor cases, with 81 listed in moderate condition.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
As of Monday, a total of 543 patients were hospitalized in dedicated isolation wards at Israel's various hospitals, while another 586 – all minor cases – are being treated at hotel facilities. 2,107 are at home, while 134 patients have recovered and have been released.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar Siman Tov predicted that by the end of the week, 150 corona patients in Israel would be in serious condition.
In an interview with Israel Radio on Monday, Siman Tov said: "I'm not seeing a model in which this ends with only a few patients dead or on ventilators. By the end of the week, we'll have more than 150 patients in serious condition."
Siman Tov also said that he did not think the nation's pupils would return to school after the Passover holiday.
"Most things won't [immediately] restart again, but we will slowly and carefully be able to resume activities. The key is ultimately a deep change in people's behavior," he said.
"In recent weeks, the prime minister and those around him have been scrupulous about observing Health Ministry instructions, and he holds most discussions via video chat from his residence. The prime minister and his associations will act according to Health Ministry instructions," the PMO said in a statement Monday.
Israel Hayom has learned that Netanyahu is tested for coronavirus on a regular basis.
Overnight Sunday, the Mossad – which a week and a half ago secured 100,000 coronavirus testing kits and flew them to Israel in the dark of night – acquired 30 more ventilators, as well as millions of surgical masks and masks rated N95. Later this week, the Mossad expects to fly in 160 additional ventilators.
As the nation's law enforcement agencies continue to grapple with the problem of enforcing Health Ministry regulations in certain communities, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has been charged with finding solutions that will allow the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities to follow regulations for social distancing and quarantine while having their particular community needs met.
The interior minister, who is the head of the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party Shas, was picked for the task in light of the growing spread of coronavirus in the haredi community. He will work with the National Security Council on ways to enable large families to maintain the quarantine. One option up for discussion is to turn religious boarding schools into isolation facilities earmarked for the haredi population. The Prime Minister's Office stressed that this was not an attempt to quarantine entire communities, but rather a way of helping residents who – because of their crowded living conditions – have difficulty maintaining social distancing.
