Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference about the coronavirus COVID-19, at the Prime Ministers office in Jerusalem on March 25, 2020. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90
The number of Coronavirus cases in Israel on Sunday rose to 4,247, the Ministry of Health confirmed, as three more people died, bringing the number of deaths attributed to the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) among Israelis to 15.
The number of total cases released by the Ministry Sunday night showed a 17 percent increase on Saturday. Out of the over 4,000 people tested positive, 74 are in serious condition with 59 on ventilators.
Two of Sunday’s Corona victims were being treated in isolated Corona-wards at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The first victim, a 92-year-old man had been admitted to hospital a week ago and was suffering from several underlying medical conditions. Later in the day, an 84-year-old woman, a resident of Jerusalem since the 1960s, passed away.
A woman in her nineties with preexisting medical problems died at the Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak shortly after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
On Saturday, the Foreign Ministry announced that Shmuel Sifri, 82 of Haifa, had died in Italy after suffering from the novel Coronavirus.
Sifri had been on a cruise with his wife near Turin in northern Italy, now the epicenter of Corona in the world.
After being diagnosed as a Corona patient, he was hospitalized in Italy where he passed away after several days. His wife is hospitalized in a military facility in Turin.
Israel is nearing a complete lockdown. The security forces are gearing up and the government is working on the logistic and legal parameters for such an eventuality.
The IDF is awaiting directives from the government to deploy soldiers who will assist in enforcing the closure. Soldiers will be armed but without authority to arrest civilians.
The lockdown is expected to take effect as soon as Monday morning, for a period of three weeks until after the Passover holiday.
Another 204 IDF reserves from the Home Front were called up to assist in running the hotels that were converted into Coronavirus convalescents.
The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 199 countries around the world.
At least 714,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 34,000 deaths. Some 156,000 have recovered. (TPS)
