UPDATE 2 - Israel revises coronavirus tally statement

REVISES HEADLINE; UPDATES WITH ISRAELI HEALTH MINISTRY'S REVISED STATEMENT

By Zain Khalil and Abdel-Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday revised its earlier statement carrying coronavirus-related statistics.

The Ministry of Health had said in an earlier statement it recorded 16 coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 197, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Hours later, the ministry said a system error had occurred, adding the death toll in the country stands at 184, with only three deaths since the morning update.

"The Ministry of Health has a BI [Business Intelligence] system that is automatically updated. Unfortunately, errors happen sometimes," the ministry said.

"In addition to the system, a manual control is performed to verify the numbers. We are working to improve and update the system to prevent the recurrence of these errors," it added.

According to the latest statement, the number of coronavirus patients in Israel rose to 13,942, after 229 new cases.

The ministry said 139 cases are in critical condition, while the number of those recovered reached 4,507.

The Israeli government has taken some measures to stem the spread of the virus, including closure of all educational institutes and banning gatherings of more than two people.

All businesses with the exception of supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, and banks have been closed since March 15.

Tel Aviv banned the entry of foreign citizens except those with Israeli residency.

Since appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions.

Data compiled by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections have passed 2.54 million, with the death toll over 175,600, while almost 678,400 people have recovered.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat and Zehra Nur Duz