Three more people died Sunday, bringing the country’s death toll to 47. The latest victim is a 61-year-old woman who was being treated at Wolfson Medical Center. Earlier, an 84-year-old woman who was being treated at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba and a 63-year-old man who was being treated at Hadassah Hospital in the capital died, as well. The 84-year-old woman was the sixth person to pass away from the Mishan senior living facility in the South and the fourth in the last three days.
At the same time, the numbers of infected people are on the rise. The Health Ministry reported 8,018 people with coronavirus Sunday morning – 127 in serious condition, among them 106 who are intubated. The deaths per day appear to be escalating at a rapid rate. On Thursday, 10 people died – the deadliest day so far for coronavirus in the country. Over the weekend, Israel lost eight more. The country last week decided to crack down on the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) city of Bnei Brak, instituting a full, military-enforced closure on the city of 200,000 people. On Sunday, marathon discussions are expected to take place among government and Knesset leaders about how to deal with the ultra-Orthodox sector. The Knesset coronavirus task force will also discuss the issue of COVID-19 screening, after it was revealed over the weekend that the Health Ministry was forced to narrow the criteria for being tested, reporting a shortage of reagents (the chemical compound used for coronavirus testing). “The Health Ministry is constantly working with all parties involved – the Procurement Administration, the Defense Ministry and the military to continue to meet the target of 10,000 tests a day and more,” the Health Ministry said in a statement. “We will find a solution to the issue of reagents… We also are also contacting other vendors so that we can be taking more than 10,000 tests per day in about two weeks.”
The statement came two days after the Health Ministry published new guidelines for tests based on the deficit:
The new guidelines explain that if one is suffering from a temperature above 38° Celsius, a cough, difficulty breathing, or any other respiratory symptoms that correspond to the virus, the person may only be screened if he or she has spent time abroad or in the Palestinian territories in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.
As for asymptomatic cases, people are only eligible to be tested if they have stayed in the vicinity of a confirmed coronavirus patient for over 15 minutes or have returned from a country with a high rate of COVID-19 infections. This move goes in contrast to previous efforts to increase testing, which will help the country to find the neighborhoods and cities with the most coronavirus cases and isolate them rather than all Israelis.
On Sunday, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit issued a statement rebuking residents of Yishuvim and other villages who have taken the law into their own hands in preventing entry to their areas due to the coronavirus situation.
Mandelblit said that only the Israel police have the authority to restrict movement into and out of specific areas. The attorney-general said he issued the statement after complaints had been filed to the police over the situation and the police had asked for guidance.
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