According to a report in Yisrael Hayom this morning, the director-general of the Health Ministry, Prof. Hezi Levy, is promoting an initiative to boost emergency room staff this winter with paramedics, due to the expected overcrowding in hospital wards due to a combination of coronavirus and influenza.
There are an estimated 3,000 paramedics in the country, most of whom are not currently working for MDA. A similar initiative to use paramedics to help with administering flu shots in the coming months is also under consideration.