The IDF has purchases hundreds of telehealth kits from Israeli high-tech TytoCare for use in arranging home hospitalization for COVID-19 patients listed in mild to moderate condition, thus easing the burden on Israel's hospitals.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The kits, produced by TytoCare, function as a modular device and examination platform for artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, remote medical exams and now offer expanded video capabilities that enable users to perform remote physical exams of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and lungs, as well as measure blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and body temperature, all of which are key for monitoring COVID-19 and many other chronic and acute conditions.
Powered by Amazon Chime, the new video features include enhanced video quality, multi-party calls, and the ability for clinicians to conduct remote visits on any tablet, including iPads.
TytoCare co-founder and CEO Dedi Gilad said his company was "proud to be partners in the Israeli healthcare system's national effort to handle COVID cases and make it easier for patients whose condition allows them to stay at home, with remote medical monitoring.
"We thank the IDF and the Defense Ministry for their faith in Tyto's telehealth solution," Gilad said.
The health tech development comes after Israel marked on Monday a grim milestone, with the number of total COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 reaching 8,010.
Despite mounting mortality, the percentage of COVID tests yielding positive results in the past 24-hour period was the lowest since July, with only 1,483 of the 108,692 tests processed (1.42%) coming back positive, the Health Ministry reported Tuesday.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 360 COVID-19 patients listed in serious condition, of whom 161 were on ventilators. The virus reproduction rate held steady at 0.78.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Over 3.85 million Israelis have received two doses of the COVID vaccine as well as a booster shot. On Monday, 9,834 Israelis received booster shots after 12,614 received boosters on Sunday. Healthcare officials consider this a slow rate of vaccination and warned that it would limit the number of Israelis entitled to a green pass certificate of vaccination, as well as exposing greater numbers of people to reinfection this coming winter.
Over 5.7 million Israelis have been vaccinated with two doses.
Since the COVID pandemic hit Israel, the country has recorded an official 1,318,478 cases.
Meanwhile, Israel might consider allowing foreign visitors who have been vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine into the country without a mandatory quarantine – providing they show proof of an antibody test, Kan 11 News reported.
i24NEWS contributed to this report
