Due to the many medical emergencies and tragedies resulting from laxity around candles and kitchen safety on Chanukah, United Hatzalah of Israel issued a number of safety tips for families to implement in order to avoid situations in which family members, especially young children suffer injuries or worse on the holiday. The recommendations of the organization are as follows: Fire safety: Use a special location and apparatus to light the candles. Many times fires occur due to the use of makeshift menorahs. Please use a proper stable menorah and stable table or shelf and avoid proximity to any flammable items, including remaining oil or other candles, as well as drapes, curtains, books, or clothing.

Lawyers for plaintiffs against Eliezer Berland, who is accused of exploitation and fraud, sent a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and Jerusalem District Attorney Danny Wittman, demanding that they refuse to accept a plea bargain, which they claim is preposterous. The lawyers, Yaakov Shaklar and Stav Halperin are considering appealing any such plea bargain in the High Court of Justice. It has previously been reported that Berland’s attorneys are attempting to get a plea bargain from the prosecution for Berland to serve less prison time, in spite of the severity of his crimes.

Provincial governments across China are placing orders for experimental, domestically made coronavirus vaccines, though health officials have yet to say how well they work or how they may reach the country’s 1.4 billion people. Developers are speeding up final testing, the Chinese foreign minister said during a U.N. meeting last week, as Britain approved emergency use of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine candidate and providers scrambled to set up distribution. Even without final approval, more than 1 million health care workers and others in China who are deemed at high risk of infection have received experimental vaccines under emergency use permission. Developers have yet to disclose how effective their vaccines are and possible side effects.

Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech were delivered Sunday in the U.K. in super-cold containers, two days before it goes public in an immunization program that is being closely watched around the world. Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine were expected to be in place for the start of the immunization program on Tuesday, a day that Health Secretary Matt Hancock has reportedly dubbed as “V-Day,” a nod to triumphs in World War II. “To know that they are here, and we are amongst the first in the country to actually receive the vaccine and therefore the first in the world, is just amazing,” said Louise Coughlan, joint chief pharmacist at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, just south of London.

Britain will be the first country to run final stage trials of an experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical company Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Scientists will begin recruiting some 6,000 people across the U.K. on Monday for the 12-month trial. Dr. Saul Faust, who is helping lead the study, said the research will start first in Britain but aims to recruit a total of 30,000 people in six countries around the world. The shot uses a harmless cold virus to deliver the spike protein of the coronavirus into the body, which scientists hope will prompt an immune response.

Following the report on Monday that Moderna’s data shows its vaccine is 94.5% effective, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ posted a video on social media stating how exciting this news is for Israel, which was one of the first countries to sign a deal to purchase the company’s vaccines if proven successful. “Already in June, I, along with Health Minister Edelstein, instructed that an agreement be signed with Moderna for the supply of vaccines,” Netanyahu stated. “Today, Moderna informed us that its vaccine has an efficacy of 94.5%. This is excellent news for the state of Israel.

One of the scientists behind the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer said Sunday that he was confident that it could halve the transmission of the virus, resulting in a “dramatic” curb of the virus’ spread. Professor Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany’s BioNTech, said it was “absolutely essential” to have a high vaccination rate before next autumn to ensure a return to normal life next winter. “If everything continues to go well, we will start to deliver the vaccine end of this year, beginning next year,” Sahin said.

The Admor of Karlin-Stolin, HaRav Baruch Meir Yaakov Shochet, blasted those who do not adhere to the Coronavirus guidelines for their actions in a recorded conversation that was sent to members of the Chassidus. The Rebbe, who himself was recently released from the hospital after having contracted the disease, has been one of the only Admorim to have instructed his community to strictly observe coronavirus health instructions since the beginning of the crisis. The Rebbe added that parts of the Chareidi community were ignoring the “simple” and “foundational” Jewish principle of saving lives, and said he was astonished at such “contempt” for the lives of others, especially from the Chassidic community.

In the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed something about the people severely ill from COVID-19: Many were obese. The link became more apparent as coronavirus swept across the globe and data mounted, and researchers are still trying to figure out why. Excess weight increases the chances of developing a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. And those are among the conditions that can make COVID-19 patients more likely to get very sick. But there’s some evidence that obesity itself can increase the likelihood of serious complications from a coronavirus infection.

Israel’s Health Ministry updated that over the course of Shabbos, 1,386 people were found to have contracted the Coronavirus. The positive results were among the more than 20,000 Corona tests carried out on Shabbos. The number of patients in serious condition stands at 387. Seven additionally people died due to the virus over Shabbos bringing Israel’s death count to 674 since the beginning of the plague. Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced on Motzei Shabbos, that on Sunday, a proposal will be brought to the government, according to which, Minyanim in shuls will be allowed to have up to 20 people inside and 30 people outside, provided that there can be two meters of space between each person.