Highest number of new COVID-19 patients diagnosed in single day

868 cases registered • Sheba helps Indonesia crack coronavirus

At the same time as the Health Ministry reported that 868 patients were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in one day on Wednesday, the highest number since the plague came to Israel in February, the country’s largest hospital told The Jerusalem Post it is working with an unlikely counterpart to help crack the crisis.

Yoel Hareven, director of the international division and resource development at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, said the hospital is collaborating with a group of private businesspeople from Indonesia who are interested in learning how to use new telemedicine and other technologies to support the country through COVID-19.

“This is just the beginning of the connection,” he said.

The relationship started from a conversation with an Indonesian journalist, who then connected the hospital to a group of businessmen working on the coronavirus issue in Indonesia, Hareven said. The businesspeople are now bringing in one of Indonesia’s largest public hospitals, he said.

According to Worldometer, Indonesia has had 57,770 coronavirus cases and 2,934 deaths.

Israel and Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, have endured decades of diplomatic isolation. Since Israel’s founding, the countries have had no formal diplomatic ties, and Indonesia has frequently taken steps to oppose Israel, condemning the “occupation,” the Nation-State Law and, most recently, the US’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Last year, a small Indonesian trade mission visited Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he hoped the countries could work together. But the Southeast Asian republic said it would not consider such relations until the conflict with the Palestinians was solved.

“We are mainly speaking about the technologies that we are using here at Sheba in Israel to protect our staff and not expose them to sick people,” Hareven said. This includes Sheba’s telemedicine programs, robots and other digital health innovations that were developed specifically during the coronavirus crisis.

In early February, Sheba launched the first known coronavirus telemedicine program in the world.

Last week, Netanyahu announced that Israeli research companies and private companies from the United Arab Emirates are working together to combat the pandemic.

Hareven said he has seen no shift in the country’s eagerness to partner, despite the spike in coronavirus cases in Israel.

Meanwhile, between midnight and press time on

number of discussions on the matter. More discussions will take place in the coming days.”

US Special Envoy for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz and Scott Leith of the US National Security Council headed back to Washington after meetings with Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

Berkowitz is expected to bring his findings from the trip to Jared Kushner, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, who will then weigh in and present the situation to the president.

Trump, who has not been directly involved in Middle East peace matters in recent months, is then expected to make his final decision on the matter, which will likely happen next week, after the Fourth of July.

Similarly, Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis said that Israel will annex portions of the West Bank in July but only after the president has made a statement on the matter.

Israeli application of sovereignty “will only happen after a declaration by Trump,” Akunis