(GPO/Koby Gideon)
PM Netanyahu at Rambam hospital

“The achievements here are impressive,” Netanyahu said, pointing out that after Israel hit 9,000 infections a day in September, the Health Ministry said only 892 cases have been found positive in the past day.

By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the coronavirus control center at Rambam hospital in Haifa on Monday to check on how the front lines are managing.

Israel’s coronavirus infection rate has been dropping due to the lockdown Netanyahu imposed last month, but as of Monday there are still almost 30,000 Israelis sick with COVID-19. Currently 1,152 people are hospitalized with coronavirus, and of those, 619 are listed in serious condition ,including several at Rambam.

“I have just finished a tour at Rambam hospital. They opened an expanded and gigantic department here to deal with the coronavirus,” Netanyahu said.

“There are developments here that are ahead of the entire world in integrated treatment by doctors and nurses, and military officers and doctors, with information systems, innovative technology, communications systems and diagnostic systems, and everything,” the prime minister said. “There is a significant addition here to our ability to treat patients.”

Netanyahu personally thanked “the medical teams that are constantly putting themselves on the front lines,” noting that the lockdown was doing its job.

“The achievements here are impressive,” Netanyahu said, pointing out that after Israel hit 9,000 infections a day in September, the Health Ministry said only 892 cases have been found positive in the past day.

“This is a rapid drop. Unfortunately, we see, as I predicted, that European countries are quickly passing us, almost all of them. They are passing us because they did not impose this lockdown. However, we need to maintain the achievements of the lockdown in a gradual exit and by following the directives. I expect everyone to follow the directives; everyone, without exception,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister called for unity of purpose as the only way to overcome the pandemic and avoid a third wave of infections.

“If we do this, then we will exit, and we will exit the second wave, which is now powerfully hitting the entire world, in a good manner. We can exit better than the other nations of the world, as happened with the first wave, if we do this together,” Netanyahu said.