A mother of a 22-year-old man with no underlying health conditions, who is hospitalized at Ashdod's Samson Asuta University Hospital in serious but stable condition due to complications of coronavirus, told Ynet on Sunday how her son fell ill with the disease that is widely believed to only pray on the elderly and the weak.
The man traveled with two of his friends to the United States. The three visited Miami and then went to Las Vegas.
Hospital
The man started feeling ill last Monday and traveled back to Israel two days later.
Upon landing, the man drove from the airport directly home in his private vehicle and immediately went into self-isolation, according to Health Ministry guidelines.
All three were later tested positive for coronavirus. Both his friends are in light condition. One is hospitalized at home and the second at a hotel requisitioned by the Defense Ministry to treat coronavirus patients.
"His fever went up on Friday, we contacted a physician and they tested him from home," told the mother.
When his condition worsened, the mother decided to call an ambulance, despite her son's protests.
"The day after he was taken to the hospital, he was no longer able to stand, not even to take a shower. They gave him oxygen and yesterday he told me that he's scared, and I tried to calm him down," the mother said.
Sunday morning, the man's family was notified he was given respiratory support due to severe pneumonia, but his vital signs were still stable.
"It's a cursed disease, this is a young man. Who would have thought it would happen this way? Things got worse within one day," said the mother. "My husband, my younger daughter and I are all in isolation after we found out he has coronavirus."
They asked me at the hospital if I wanted to come to see him, but I can't, I just can't see him plugged to this machine. I told them it was hard for me and I was shaking. I'm scared to fall apart there, I prefer to remember him as he was."
"The entire world says that this disease doesn't affect the young. People think that this is a game, but he was very responsible and headed straight home after the flight."
Another two people have died from coronavirus-related complications, bringing the number of fatalities in Israel to 14, health officials said Sunday.
Israel's number of coronavirus-related fatalities rose to 14 on Sunday after two people succumbed to the disease.
The two latest fatalities are a 92-year-old Mordechai Ben-Michael from Jerusalem and 94-year-old Pearl Vvizel from Bnei Brak. Both victims suffered from serious underlying health conditions.
The Health Ministry announced on Sunday 405 new cases of coronavirus since Saturday morning, bringing the country's total to 3,865 cases. Among them 66 in serious condition.