Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat, who was rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem on Sunday due to Covid-19 complications, has been placed on a ventilator on Monday after his condition deteriorated.
“Mr. Erekat had a quiet night but this morning his condition deteriorated, and it is now defined as critical,” a statement from the Hadassah Medical Center said. “Due to respiratory distress, he was put on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma.”
The 65-year-old has for decades been one of the most prominent members of the Palestinian Authority, serving as a leading negotiator. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), in which Erekat serves as secretary general, reported on October 8 that he tested positive for Covid-19. The diplomat remained quarantined at home until his condition worsened at the weekend.
The politician is considered vulnerable to the disease due his medical history. In 2017, he underwent lung transplant surgery in the US, which required suppressing his immune system. He also has a heart condition and survived a heart attack in 2012.
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