Dr. Masad Barhoum, director of the Galilee Medical Center (GMC) in Nahariya, on Monday afternoon announced that the hospital would cease accepting coronavirus patients, Israel Hayom reported.

According to Dr. Barhoum, the decision is due to the overburdening of the hospital's coronavirus ward and intensive care units, especially with regards to seriously ill and ventilated patients.

Currently, 85 confirmed coronavirus patients are hospitalized in the hospital's three coronavirus wards. Thirty of those patients are in serious condition, and three are on ventilators. Another 27 coronavirus patients are moderately ill, and the others are mildly ill.

GMC noted that the issue is not just coronavirus patients: The fact that there are 30 seriously ill patients in the general and respiratory ICU, as well as additional patients in the pediatric, neurosurgical, and cardiovascular ICUs, also makes it difficult for the staff to function.

"The number of trained staff I have who can care for seriously ill coronavirus patients is extremely limited," Dr. Barhoum explained. "The options I had were transferring additional seriously ill patients to the center of the country, so that they could receive treatment from trained staffs, or that we would treat them, with staff that we trained. The staff that we trained were trained for a situation in which the entire system is non-functional. Thank G-d, that's not the situation right now. There is no reason I should treat seriously ill and ventilated patients with staff who are not trained, if I can move them to the center [of the country]."

"I evaluate things every morning and evening, and as of now, I have decided not to transfer patients. However, in the current situation I will have a very difficult time taking on additional patients, since we do not have enough trained staff for the seriously ill and ventilated patients. Therefore, I have ordered that the hospital not accept any more coronavirus patients."

Israel Hayom added that GMC has three coronavirus wards: a geriatric coronavirus ward (the first and oldest of them), a ventilated coronavirus ward (in the rehabilitation wing), and coronavirus ward A. They are at 132% capacity, as per the Health Ministry's website on Tuesday morning.

In addition, two other wards are undergoing renovations to allow them to be used as coronavirus wards.

In addition, Kan News reported that Shaare Zedek Medical Center's Director-General Professor Ofer Merin told Magen David Adom (MDA) not to transfer any more coronavirus patients to the medical center. Dozens of coronavirus patients who were slated to be hospitalized at Shaare Zedek have been transferred to other hospitals instead.

Shaare Zedek has the largest number of seriously ill, and critically ill ventilated coronavirus patients.