(Jerusalem, Israel) — The coronavirus pandemic and related lockdown in Israel has been painful. Fully 26.1% of Israelis are out of work, and businesses are hurting.
That said, strict containment measures taken by the Israeli government — earlier than almost every other country — appear to have proven effective.
- Israel currently has 12,591 confirmed cases of infection
- 141 Israelis have died, almost all over the age of 70 — each case is very sad, but overall the numbers are quite low given the high percentage of elderly and thus vulnerable people in Israeli society
- 2,626 Israelis have recovered
Increasingly, authorities are discussing how/when to re-open society and reboot the economy. We’ve been on a full lockdown through much of Passover. Now, restrictions are easing a bit. Netanyahu and Gantz still haven’t finalized a national unity government — and on-going negotiations may still fall apart — but more on that later.
Globally, nearly 2.1 million people have been infected, with 138,008 deaths as of April 16th, according to tracking done by John Hopkins University.
In the United States, the pandemic entails a far more sobering story. The curve may be flattening, but the number of deaths have hit record highs for the past several days.
According to a report by Reuters:
- U.S. coronavirus deaths increased by a record number for the second day in a row, rising by at least 2,371 on Wednesday to top 30,800.
- The United States recorded its first coronavirus fatality on Feb. 29.
- It took 38 days to reach 10,000 deaths and just nine more days to go from 10,000 fatalities to 30,000.
- The previous high single-day death toll was 2,364 on Tuesday.
- U.S. confirmed cases topped 635,000 in the United States and 2 million globally
The good news: “FEMA is actually working as we speak to move facial masks to priority infrastructure,” Vice President Pence noted yesterday. “There’ll be 6.5 million masks that go out before the end of this week and additional 20 million before April the 20th. And then we’ll be adding 6.5 million each and every week.”
Here are some useful numbers, provided by the White House:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) deliveries coordinated or currently being shipped by FEMA and HHS:
- 2 million N95 respirators
- 6 million surgical masks
- 5 million face shields
- 7 million surgical gowns
- 3 million gloves
- 212,000 coveralls
- 8,600 medical station beds
Please continue praying:
- for all those who are suffering that the Lord would heal and comfort them
- for all those who have lost a loved one, that the Lord would comfort them
- for protection and strength for all health care workers and first responders
- for wisdom for our national leaders
- for pastors and ministry leaders to continue teaching the Word of God with clarity and compassion, and to know how best to minister to people with church doors closed
- for all those who have lost their jobs and all who are struggling financially
- for The Joshua Fund team to have both the wisdom and financial resources to continue investing in, strengthening and encouraging vital ministries in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the neighboring Arab countries
(Photo from the White House website. Graphic courtesy of the Times of Israel)
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