An emergency room doctor at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a hospital spokesperson said on Thursday.
The hospital reported that the doctor returned from France on March 2, before the Health Ministry extended its quarantine instructions to travelers returning from the country, and worked at the ER the same day.
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The quarantine compound at Sheba Medical Center
(Photo: Courtesy of Sheba Medical Center)
The doctor is in light condition and he was taken to a quarantine compound far from the medical center. All people who came into contact with the health worker were sent to home quarantine.
According to the hospital, patients who treated directly by the doctor will be personally updated.
Eighteen more people have tested positive for the pathogen bringing the total number of cases in Israel to 100, health officials confirmed on Thursday.
The update comes just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a series of new restrictions in an effort to combat the rapid spread of the new virus, formally known as COVID-19. Among the latest guidelines is a ban on mass gatherings of 250 people or more.
The Health Ministry said out of 100 people at least 91 have been hospitalized, one newly-diagnosed patient is in a process of being hospitalized, five are quarantined at home and three others have recovered.
Health officials also say that two people are in a serious condition, three in a moderate and the rest appear to be only slightly affected by the disease.
In addition, a United States tourist who also tested positive for the virus has been hospitalized in a moderate condition but is not included in the official government count of the infected since she is not an Israeli national.
The 70-year-old woman is said to be suffering from pneumonia and breathing difficulty. She is treated in Baruch Padeh Medical Center, also known as Poriya Medical Center, in the northern city of Tiberias.
At least two children appear to be among the newly-infected with the virus, which seems to attack kids at a much lesser rate than the elderly. The two, aged 10 and 11, recently returned from a trip to Spain with their father.
The Health Ministry website has full details of the locations visited by coronavirus sufferers in Israel.