Israel Racing for Respirators; Only 5% of Those Ordered Have Actually Arrived

YERUSHALAYIM
A Magen David Adom medical worker wearing protective gear handling a coronavirus test from patients in Yerushalayim. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Israel is now planning for a possible second outbreak of the coronavirus, but the Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that only 5% of the respirators Israel ordered during the first wave of corona have actually been received, “due to constant cancellations and a low level of supply dependability.”

Of the over 15,000 respirators Israel ordered, only 707 have arrived, according to a report in Yisrael Hayom.

Over the past two-and-a-half months, 2,299 respirators have been added to Israel’s supply, which in total numbers 5,372 machines, according to a report of the Knesset’s Center for Research and Information.

The Health Ministry is expecting another 3,203 respirators to arrive this month; 3,500 next month and 1,749 in August, but as noted, cancellations abound and however many of the ordered machines will actually arrive is highly uncertain.

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