Israel’s Health Ministry warned on Monday that due to the spike in seriously ill coronavirus patients in recent weeks, Israel’s supply of ECMO machines is almost depleted, Ynet reported. Health Ministry sources warned that if the spike continues, health professionals will be forced to choose who will be attached to the life-saving machines. “We’re not there yet,” a ministry source said,” but it can happen in the future. We never thought we would have to treat over 40 ECMO patients at the same time but here we are. We’re now reaching our limit.” A total of 41 coronavirus patients in critical condition were attached to ECMO machines last week alone.

The Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is set to begin on Tuesday, and will see opening statements and debate between House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense lawyers. The trial is expected to gavel in at 1 p.m. and will see four hours of debate total, divided between the House impeachment managers and Trump’s counsel about whether the impeachment trial is constitutional. The Senate will then vote by simple majority on if the trial is constitutional, which was affirmed 55-45 in a similar vote last month. If the majority of the Senate says the trial is unconstitutional, which is not expected to be the case, then the impeachment trial would be dismissed immediately.

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 7,761 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours on Tuesday morning, with tests showing a positivity rate of 8.8%, raising the total number of virus cases since the start of the pandemic to 700,479. There are currently 1,088 virus patients hospitalized in serious condition, with 306 ventilated. The death toll has risen to 5,192. The number of children diagnosed with the coronavirus has risen by 400%, according to a Kan News report on Monday. The high infection rate in children and teens is of great concern to health officials, who fear that reopening the educational system will have dire consequences. Health officials told ministers that reopening schools could spur a rapid coronavirus outbreak among children and teens.

Moments ago, a NY District Court Judge, gave a permanent injunction and bars all Cuomo’s Executive Orders on Houses of Worship. FULL STORY SHORTLY READ THE COURT ORDER HERE (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The post BIG WIN FOR NY SHULS: Judge Orders Permanent Injunction And Bars All Cuomo’s Executive Orders appeared first on The Yeshiva World.

Mrs. Raizel Shoshana Ovitz, a’h, an Auschwitz survivor whose photo of her 104th birthday at the Kosel surrounded by 400 of her descendants went viral, passed away at Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital on Monday morning at the age of 105. The nifteres, a’h was a respected and beloved member of the Viznitz chassidus in Bnei Brak. As YWN reported in Ausgust 2019, hundreds of Mrs. Ovitz’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren traveled from around the country to join her for her birthday at the Kosel to thank Hashem for the past and daven for the future. "שלום סיון. סבתא שלי, שושנה אוביץ, שרדה את אושוויץ. מול עיניה ד"ר מנגלה לקח את אמא שלה. אחרי המלחמה פגשה את סבא דב, שאיבד במחנות את אשתו וילדיו. הם התחתנו ועלו לחיפה. היא עבדה כתופרת ועזרה לו בניהול החנות.

Facebook recently banned an Israel anti-vaccination group with 14,000 members named, “No to the Green Passport,” following a request by Israel’s Health Ministry. The group’s leaders encouraged members to schedule appointments at vaccination centers and then not show up or cancel them at the last minute, forcing the centers to throw out unused vaccine doses, Channel 12 News reported. Israel Police are considering opening a criminal investigation against the leaders of the group, which espouses conspiracy theories on coronavirus vaccines. “We are investigating the criminal and legal implications of the matter,” a senior police official told Channel 12.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that New York City restaurants can bring back indoor dining on Friday, a slight move-up from the previously scheduled Sunday reopening date but a tweak that allows eateries to reap the benefits of the full Valentine’s Day weekend rather than just the holiday alone. The governor had said he wanted to evaluate the data over the weekend when asked late last week about a potential date change and affirmed an ongoing stabilization, if not marked improvement, in the numbers on Monday. In New York City, new case and rolling hospitalization averages are both down by double-digit percentage points over the last seven days compared with the weekly average for the prior four weeks. Deaths are down, too, though by a lesser degree.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty on Monday as his trial on corruption charges resumed in a Jerusalem courtroom just weeks before national elections in which he hopes to extend his 12-year rule. Netanyahu was indicted last year for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. In recent months, Israelis have held weekly protests calling on him to resign over the charges and criticizing his government’s response to the coronavirus crisis. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse could be heard inside the room where the hearing was being held. He stands accused of accepting lavish gifts from wealthy friends and offering to grant favors to powerful media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of him and his family.

Researchers at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv say that they have developed a drug that appears to cure serious coronavirus cases, Kan News reported. The drug, EXO-CD24, was administered to 30 moderately to severely ill coronavirus patients and 29 of them showed a marked improvement within two days and were released from the hospital three to five days later. The 30th patient also recovered but her recovery took several more days. The drug fights the cytokine storm – a life-threatening immune response during which the body starts to attack its own cells – which scientists believe is fueling many coronavirus deaths. Cytokines are part of the body’s normal immune response to infection but their sudden release in large quantities can cause multisystem organ failure and death.

An-early-morning fire in a Lakewood Yeshiva left a Sefer Torah R”L destroyed and the building totally gone. The fire started just before 3:00AM at Yeshiva Chayei Olam on Faraday, and by the time the Fire Department had arrived, the entire building was fully engulfed in flames. The Sefer Torah had been inside a safe which unfortunately had fallen through the floor when the building collapsed. The Sefer Torah was removed smoldering and totally destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)