After a drop of a few days, the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel hit a new daily record of 1,681 for the 24-hour period from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday.
The rising number of new cases comes along with a rise in other parameters – the number of corona patients hospitalized in serious condition stood at 180 on Tuesday, an increase of 36 since Monday. Of those, 55 were on ventilators.
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As of Tuesday morning, there were 21,118 active or symptomatic cases nationwide, and the death toll since the start of the epidemic has risen to 368. On Monday, the number of active cases in Israel topped for the first time the total number of Israelis who have recovered from the virus.
In the 24-hour time period from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, Israel conducted 26,223 coronavirus tests, 6.75% of which turned out positive. The number of new cases is increasing by an average of 6% per day. As of Tuesday, the rate at which the number of cases in Israel is doubling was down to 12, from 16 last week.
The cities that are seeing the largest numbers of new cases are still Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Betar Illit, Lod, Ramle, and Kiryat Malachi. A report from the Corona National Information and Knowledge Center recommended localized operations to contain the spread of the virus in those cities.
Meanwhile, IDF soldiers in a number of units are reporting extended wait times to be tested for coronavirus; soldiers who tested positive being forced to remain at home despite living with at-risk family members; a lack of space for soldiers in dedicated corona recovery facilities; no response on the army's Mekol Halev coronavirus hotline; and a lack of availability of medical treatment in the military, among other problems.
One soldier who tested positive told Israel Hayom, "They said, 'Sorry. Wear a mask at home.' What are we supposed to do? What do they expect me to do? I can't stop crying."
"The IDF are the ones who are operating the facilities for the civilians. How can it be that there's no room for soldiers?" another soldier asked. "Soldiers are low priority because there is no one in the Homefront Command fielding queries from soldiers."
A career military man told Israel Hayom that he hasn't heard about any military personnel being able to get a hold of anyone on the military's Mekol Halev hotline these past few days.
"Mekol Halev is the only resource, both for soldiers in quarantine who want to be tested and soldiers who have tested positive and need to be evacuated to a corona facility. Medical officers on bases are saying that accommodations for sick personnel are collapsing and no one is answering at Mekol Halev," he said.
The IDF said last week that it would be adding additional personnel to the Mekol Halev hotline, but soldiers are still reporting long wait times, often up to an hour.
One Facebook post accused the IDF of "abandoning" its soldiers. User Amos Cawi took parents of soldiers and soldiers who have tested positive for coronavirus or who are showing symptoms to task, urging them not to call the IDF because it "won't help."
"My son-in-law, who is career military and lives with me, was infected at home. We all received daily care and support from Clalit Health Services. They call every day, ask about us, and we've even been tested a few times. Phone calls to the army to be tested were answered by, 'We'll only run tests if you're sick, these are the IDF procedures,'" he wrote.
Coronavirus and its fallout are placing a heavy burden on the IDF. As of last week, Mekol Halev was receiving 1,500 calls a day, more than three times what the hotline fielded in the first wave. The IDF is aware of the lack of space for soldiers in corona treatment facilities, and is promising that it will soon open a dedicated facility for soldiers.
The IDF said in response to the soldiers' complaints that "The claim that the IDF is not supplying tests for soldiers is incorrect. The Medical Corps is taking action to adjust itself to the Health Ministry's policies on testing, which change frequently.
"We provide the best medical care possible to soldiers, according to criteria from the Health Ministry and the Medical Corps. As a result of the increase in exposure to the virus, there is a rise in the number of calls to the hotline and requests for tests. The Medical Corps has the means to provide a complete answer for all those who serve, and it conducts periodic situational assessments, analyzes trends in the spread of the virus, and tracks and treats patients based on Health Ministry protocol. As for placing soldiers in corona treatment facilities, as of now, soldiers are accommodated there along with civilians. In accordance with the rise in the number of cases in the IDF, a decision is being made to open a dedicated hospitalization facility for soldiers, like we did in the first wave," the military said.
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