From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 22, 2024
Israel running out of anti-viral drugs as COVID spikes
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
Israel is running out of Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, the anti-viral drugs used to treat people with severe cases of COVID-19, the Health Ministry says.
The medications are also given to patients aged 65 and up and those with preexisting medical conditions that put them at high risk when they first start showing signs of the disease.
The ministry notified the country’s four health maintenance organizations that the supply of the anti-viral drugs will last for only two to three more weeks and that it is working to access more.
According to the latest numbers released by the Health Ministry, there are 1,056 active documented cases of COVID, with 305 of them in hospitals. There are 31 people in critical or serious condition, with 11 of them on ventilators. Nearly 12 percent of tests done in the medical system yesterday came back positive.
