CTech's Tuesday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Israel faces rise in Covid-19 cases with only an interim government; Experts could be wrong about the coronavirus

CTech 15:1824.03.20

Israel faces rise in Covid-19 cases with only an interim government. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel has reached 1,656 on Tuesday morning, with 31 people in critical condition and on ventilators. Read more

 

Experts could be wrong about the coronavirus. Covid-19 mortality could be lower than current reports suggest and may not justify extensive lockdowns and the paralysis of economic activity, academics say. Read more

Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. Photo: AP Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. Photo: AP

 

Analysis | Israel’s state comptroller report reveals failure to prepare for a pandemic. Matanyahu Englman has released a harsh report about the state of Israel’s healthcare system, but avoided assigning blame to anyone. And why did he wait four months to publish a report that was ready in November? Read more

 

Analysis | Israel's state comptroller’s 60-page report on the local tech industry did not say much. The report, released Monday, touched on the sector’s main woes but overgeneralized, took an archaic approach, and offered little to no concrete solutions. Read more

 

The majority of Israel’s newly unemployed: women, people under 35. Nearly 600,000 Israelis have signed up for unemployment since the beginning of the month. Read more

 

Knesset to vote on establishment of four committees under heavy restrictions. Monday’s voting and speeches will occur in rounds of six Knesset members allowed to enter the hall at a time. Read more

 

Mobileye to donate $2.75 million to social services. Organizations can apply to receive money from Mobileye until the end of the month. Read more

 

Intel to donate coronavirus testing system to an Israeli hospital. The $320,000 automated system can extract RNA from respiratory samples taken from people suspected of contracting the virus. Read more

 

MyHeritage donates 66,000 swabs to Israel to assist in the battle against Covid-19. The swabs were brought in from MyHeritage’s supplier in North Carolina and the company estimates its donation to be worth about $10 million. Read more