Health Minister Yakov Litzman and his wife have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and will go into quarantine, the Health Ministry confirmed Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed that Litzman tested positive.
The ministry said Litzman will continue to serve as health minister from home, in accordance with medical recommendations. The 71-year-old leader of Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism is at high risk for developing complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and is being closely monitored.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
As per the ministry's orders, Head of the National Security Council Meir Ben-Shabbat, Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar Siman Tov, and several other officials who have been in daily contact with Litzman, will be going into self-isolation as well.
As of Wednesday, 6,092 Israelis have been diagnosed with coronavirus, which has so far claimed the lives of 26 patients. Ninety-five people are in serious condition, with 81 of them intubate. So far, 241 Israelis have recovered from the virus.
The Health Ministry said that 3,201 medical personnel, including 701 doctors and 1,138 nurses are currently under quarantine. To boost ranks, the ministry has licensed 900 new nurses in an expedited process.
Israel is currently performing 7,000 coronavirus tests a day. Netanyahu has ordered that testing should increase to 10,000 by next week.
