Medical ventilator
Medical ventilatorPhoto: istock

A new report from the Knesset Research and Information Center prepared at the request of Knesset Coronavirus Committee Chairman MK Ofer Shelah reveals that in Israel, there are currently only 1,437 available ventilators.

Respirators and ventilators are two types of devices used in different circumstances to facilitate breathing. While ventilators perform the act of respiration mechanically, respirators do not engage in respiration on their own, but only improve the quality of air by removing contaminants. Respirators facilitate respiration either by purifying air or by providing an air source, whereas a ventilators are used to move breathable air in and out of the lungs in patients who are unable to breathe or have difficulty breathing.

The report also found that as of Tuesday, tests had been performed on 32,346 subjects of whom 2,000 patients were diagnosed, meaning that about 6 percent of the subjects tested positive.

To read the full report in the original Hebrew click here.

According to the most updated Health Ministry data, as of January 2019 there were 758 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds of various types available in Israel.

Of these: 394 general-purpose ICU beds, 64 intermediate ICU beds, 215 cardiac ICU beds, 53 Intermediate cardiac ICU beds, and 32 respiratory ICU beds.

In response to the Knesset Research and Information Center's question of the number of ventilator devices in Israel, the Ministry said that as of today, there are 2,173 ventilators in Israel, of which about one-third (708) are in use, another 28 are out of order, and 1,437 are available.

The Health Ministry today announced that the number of coronavirus infections in Israel has risen to 2,495, marking 126 new patients since the last update last night. Of those, 41 are hospitalized in serious condition, 68 are in moderate condition, and all the rest suffer only minor symptoms or have been diagnosed without symptoms. So far 5 patients have died from the disease in Israel, and at least 66 have recovered.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's new directives came into force last night, and already this morning rail traffic has been disabled and police are enforcing the strict traffic restrictions. Police have already begun enforcement in the first phase without penalties. The Health Ministry urged citizens not to leave home except in exceptional cases and ordered the closure of all non-essential stores and a significant reduction in public transport.

נתניהו הודיע: ישראל בדרך להסגר מלאלע"מ