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Israel Update 25.6.20

CORONAVIRUS IN ISRAEL

 

As at Thursday morning, 532 new confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in the previous 24 hours, the highest number of daily virus diagnoses since April 9. There are 5,796 active cases, 46 of whom were in serious condition, including 28 patients on ventilators. Another 41 were in moderate condition and the rest displayed only mild or no symptoms at all. However, the number of hospitalizations continued its downward trend of recent days and stood at 189 patients. The number of fatalities is 308. Since the beginning of the week, 1,392 new infections have been reported – more than the number of infections recorded during the entire month of May.  Read more here

 

A partial lockdown over the city of Elad and several neighbourhoods in Tiberias went into effect at 8pm Wednesday due to the steep rise of coronavirus cases in those areas.  Measures are also being considered for Bat Yam. Read more here

 

The Health Ministry on Sunday instructed hospitals around the country to prepare to reopen their coronavirus wards as the number of new COVID-19 cases continued to climb. Several hospitals closed these wards last month as the number of new cases dropped, but daily infection numbers have since rebounded. Read more here

 

Ministers decided to raise the fine for failure to wear masks in public, from NIS 200 (£47) to NIS 500 (£117) as well as taking measures to strengthen enforcement. Read more here

 

RESEARCH

 

According to an investigation by Israel’s Channel 12 TV, some “recovered” COVID-19 patients have been left with long-term debilitating physical, cognitive and psychiatric damage, sometimes even in people who only suffered mild symptoms. Read more here

 

Israeli researchers have started carrying out genome analysis to test whether the novel coronavirus is changing to become less vicious. Read more here

 

CO-OPERATION WITH THE USA

 

Israeli data company MDClone is supporting the US National Institutes of Health in the fight against the coronavirus crisis. The company, provides big-data solutions for healthcare systems and works with organizations in several countries, including Israel, the US and Canada. Read more here

 

Researchers at the Haifa Technion are partnering with a US company Primus Power to develop an affordable, rechargeable battery to store solar and wind energy using a locally mined resource, bromine as well as zinc. Both are relatively inexpensive, and certainly far cheaper than the lithium used to power portable devices such as phones and laptops.Read more here

 

CO-OPERATION WITH ITALY

 

Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering has teamed up with Italian researchers to build an app that will tell people whether they are likely to have coronavirus, based on their voice and breathing. Afeka’s app is intended to let people know the probability of whether they have coronavirus, enabling them to make a clear-headed decision on whether to go for screening.Read more here

 

RAMBAM HEALTH CARE CAMPUS INNOVATION

 

The IDF designed a new type of reusable PPE with a ventilation system which is more comfortable for Rambam’s medical personnel to wear. Haifa’s Technion developed a portable filter providing clean air inside the gowns. Elbit Systems the Haifa-based defence contractor modified a communication system for hospital use which is so impressive that “the Ministry of Health would like to adopt it for all hospitals in Israel if there is a major increase in the number of corona patients.” Read more here

 

VACCINE UPDATE

 

In a possible breakthrough, the Israeli Defence Ministry-run Institute for Biological Research lab  has reported a successful vaccine trial on hamsters and hopes to have a finished product for humans within a year. Read more here

 

SONOVIA MASKS UPDATE

 

Tests at a Shanghai lab in accordance with international standards have shown that reusable antimicrobial SonoMasks from Israeli startup Sonovia Tech are proven to kill more than 90 percent of Covid-19 virus, even up to 100 washings. Read more here

 

TREATMENT

 

The Israeli biopharmaceutical company Kamada has completed manufacturing the first batch of its plasma-derived immunoglobulin (IgG) product for treating Covid-19. Israel has approved it for compassionate use.Read more here

 

Hadassah Medical Centre has treated its first COVID-19patient with the new “passive vaccine” that the hospital developed in conjunction with Kamada. Read more here

 

TERROR ATTACK

 

Israeli Border Police released security footage from a car-ramming attack at a West Bank checkpoint on Tuesday to refute accusations that the assailant was killed without reason. In the video, a car can be seen approaching the checkpoint before abruptly accelerating and turning toward a group of police. The car then rams into a female officer – who is knocked into the air – before colliding with a booth and coming to a stop. Read more here

 

WATER SYSTEM PROTECTED BY FISH

 

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate is taking responsibility for protecting the country’s water system after Iran recently tried to hack the system. In addition to the advanced water monitoring systems in place, a dozen aquariums filled with drinking water have several fish swimming around inside. The smaller fish react faster to changes in the water and the bigger fish react to build-up effects in the water quality over time. Read more here

 

VIRTUAL CAR SHOWROOM

52 teams from 19 countries competed in Škoda Auto DigiLab’s global online “COVID Mobility Race” hackathon dedicated to current challenges facing the automotive industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winner was Israeli high-tech company Matter’s 3D virtual showroom technology. Read more here

 

INDIA

 

After recent fighting on the Indo-Chinese border, India has increased technical drone surveillance of the area using the Israeli Heron medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. Read more here

 

INNOVATION

 

Six Israeli firms, Aleph Farms, Optibus, Morphisec, Prospera, Seebo, 3D Signals are among the companies named by the World Economic Forum as the 100 Technology Pioneers for 2020.Read more here

 

AIR FORCE CADETS

 

One of the three women, among the 40 cadets completing the prestigious Israel Air Force 180th flight course and receiving their pilots’ “wings”, has a rich aeronautical family history: She is the daughter and granddaughter of air force pilots, and her great-uncle was one of the most prominent commanders in the air force in the 1970s Read more here

 

International singing star Idan Raichel visited their base. (3 minute video)View here

 

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS STUDY

A Israeli study has found that multiple sclerosis patients taking a nano-engineered nutritional supplement made out of pomegranate oil showed “significant cognitive improvement” after just three months. Read more here

 

GREECE

 

Greece’s ONEX Neorion Shipyards and Israel Shipyards Ltd. have signed an agreement on the co-production of the Themistocles corvette ship. Read more here

 

VIDEO

 

Israeli reporter Zvi Yechezkeli went undercover to probe Palestinian opinion in the West Bank. He found that PA Prime Minister Abbas says one thing and the people want something else and are not afraid to say so. When the PA wanted to start riots, the people wanted permits to work in Israel. ..One Palestinian noted: “The Israelis are a million times more compassionate than the PA…The Israelis treat us like friends.” Another said, “The PA has plundered and destroyed us…They just steal money. A Palestinian police officer said, “In Israel, there’s law and order, there’s governance. Life is good. Here, there’s no law and order. Aid money comes from Israel and Europe. They [the PA] steal it.” Another Palestinian policeman said, “The people understand that PA officials destroyed the land, they devoured the people, they’re thieves and traitors.” The Arab world has changed and some of the Palestinians have too. View here