Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy said on Wednesday that a very steep rise in seriously ill Chareidi coronavirus patients has been confirmed in recent days.

“If I look at the trend of severely ill coronavirus patients in the Chareidi sector, there’s a rise in the weekly average,” Levy said at a press briefing to the media. “Out of the new seriously ill virus patients – almost 100 today – we know how many are from the Chareidi sector and there’s an increase in severely ill Chareidi patients.”

“The infection rate in the Chareidi sector, both because of its population density and because of tefillos and events held contrary to the law, has soared,” Levy continued. “This must be taken care of. It affects the Chareidi population, the morbidity rate in general and hospitals specifically.”

“One of every three coronavirus tests in the Chareidi sector is positive – double the general population. The Chareidi sector is responsible for 34% of the morbidity rate in Israel.”

According to a report by Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak on Wednesday, two of the most recent severely ill Chareidi patients are a 42-year-old man with no prior health issues and a 26-year-old woman who arrived at the hospital in dire condition, with both her life and the life of the baby she was carrying at risk.

The doctors performed an emergency C-section and managed to save both mother and baby but the mother is still in serious condition.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)