Paxlovid, a Pfizer’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pill, is seen manufactured in Ascoli, Italy, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on Nov. 16, 2021. Photo: Pfizer/Handout via Reuters

i24 News – The last active Covid ward in Israel, in a Jerusalem hospital, was shut down on Sunday, local media reported.

The decision by the Herzog Medical Center in Jerusalem means that from now on all Covid cases in Israel will be treated in wards housing patients with other respiratory conditions. In January, Covid was downgraded to a flu-like viral disease in Israel.

Hospital director Dr. Kobi Haviv told the media that “an era has come to an end. There is so much we have learned. We garnered experience that will hopefully be of no use to us going forward. We are just happy to put this all behind.”

“It is with a sense of pride and joy that we’re shuttering the department today,” he added. “There is a feeling of profound joy that the Covid pandemic, with its deadly consequences, is finally behind us. As our team’s tremendous, unbelievable collective effort has come to an end, we are allowed to feel besides ourselves with joy.”

Israel was the world leader in administering the Covid vaccine, with the vast majority of its population inoculated against the virus with several booster shots.