Officials in Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center reported two swine flu patients have died; a 66-year-old male with an underlying chronic illness and a 60-year-old tourist with cancer.

Health officials in Israel are warning of an expected major swine flu situation in winter, predicting thousands of hospitalizations and even an ominous 14,000 fatalities chas v’sholom.

Israel has joined a growing list of countries that ordered vaccinations but experts do not believe the vaccines, which may only be partially effective, will arrive on time.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)