58-year-old Jerusalem man dies of COVID-19 days after wife, 52, succumbs

Couple’s son also hospitalized with coronavirus; Zvi and Bayla Porush lived in ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood, which has seen high levels of infection

By ToI Staff 26 April 2020, 9:47 am

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Zvi (L) and Bayla Porush, who died of COVID-19 within days of each other (Courtesy)

A 58-year-old Jerusalem man died of coronavirus on Friday, just days after his wife succumbed to the pathogen.

Zvi Porush was able to attend the funeral of his wife Bayla, 52, who died on Monday. She suffered from underlying health conditions.

The couple had six children, of whom one son is hospitalized in Jerusalem with COVID-19 and another son died two years ago, Ynet reported, without giving a cause of death.

“We live next door. Bayla passed away after she was hospitalized for two weeks. He participated in the funeral, although he was weak and ill,” neighbor Dov Frankel told Channel 12 news.

The couple resided in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim, which has seen a high rate of infection and was subject to a strict lockdown.

As of Sunday morning, 199 people in Israel have died of COVID-19, according to Health Ministry statistics. The number of coronavirus cases in Israel rose to 15,398, with 100 people on ventilators.