A coronavirus patient is accused of beating his 82-year-old hospital roommate to death with an oxygen tank in Lancaster, Calif., last week because he was upset with his Catholic prayers, according to authorities. The victim shared a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital with the suspect, 37-year-old Jesse Martinez. They were both undergoing treatment for COVID-19, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The two did not know each other, but the elderly victim’s praying upset Martinez on the morning of Dec. 17, authorities said. The suspect is accused of grabbing an oxygen tank and pummeling the victim. Hospital workers detained Martinez at the scene until law enforcement arrived, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 82-year-old was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m.

The Tri-State area will be impacted by thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind gusts topping 70 mph on Thursday night into Friday morning, before colder air sweeps into the tri-state on a blustery Erev Shabbos. Conditions will become increasingly cloudy and very windy during the day Thursday ahead of rain that arrives towards evening, according to AccuWeather. The high will be 59. The rocky weather hits Thursday night into early Friday, when wind gusts will kick up to 50, 60 or even 70 mph. The strongest gusts are possible along the coast. Expect power outages at the height of the storm between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. The low will be 55. A High Wind Warning will be in effect for New York City and Long Island, as well as parts of New Jersey and Westchester, from 6 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday.

HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein went to Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak on Tuesday afternoon to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A New York City health care worker suffered a “significant allergic reaction” to a COVID vaccine, the city Health Department said Wednesday. “With more than 30,000 COVID-19 vaccinations administered in New York City, we have received a single report of a serious adverse event in a health care worker. The health care worker, who had a significant allergic reaction, has been treated and is in stable condition,”, the NYC Health Department told YWN in a statement. “Vaccines do have side effects and allergic reactions – while uncommon – are known to occur.

A group of prominent Boro Park dayanim and Misaskim representatives had a face to face meeting with a senior El Al executive on Monday to discuss a serious problem that arose last week for kohanim and to ensure that concrete steps are being taken to prevent future recurrences. Misaskim arranged the meeting between El Al Vice President for North and Central America Yoram Elgrabli and the Karlsburger Rebbe, Rav Yechezkel Roth, the Debrecziner Rebbe, Rav Moshe Stern, Rav Herschel Ausch and Rav Moshe Roth in Boro Park in light of the December 16th discovery that aronos were no longer being placed in special boxes that prevented issues of tumah for kohanim on JFK flights.

This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time – due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic. Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months. But preliminary numbers suggest that the United States is on track to see more than 3.2 million deaths this year, or at least 400,000 more than in 2019. U.S. deaths increase most years, so some annual rise in fatalities is expected. But the 2020 numbers amount to a jump of about 15%, and could go higher once all the deaths from this month are counted. That would mark the largest single-year percentage leap since 1918, when tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers died in World War I and hundreds of thousands of Americans died in a flu pandemic.

Due to the fact that Israel’s current government could not get a budget passed, the Israeli Knesset has officially been dissolved and a new round of elections has begun in Israel, the fourth in less than two years. To kick off the election cycle properly, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu attacked the Blue and White party and it’s leader Benny Gantz in comments made on Tuesday night, just as soon as it was final that the country would go to elections. The comments were made at a press conference that was held on Tuesday evening after the deadline passed for the budget to be ratified. Netanyahu blamed Blue and White for forcing Israel into a new election cycle due to their unwillingness to allow the budget to pass.

President Trump slammed the recently passed $900 billion COVID-19 relief package as a “disgrace” on Tuesday evening, urging Congress amend the bill to increase the direct payments given to Americans. “I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple,” Trump said in a video posted to Twitter. In addition, Trump is demanding that lawmakers “get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items” from the legislation, “or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package” “Maybe that administration will be me,” Trump added. “And we will get it done.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

At least 6 people were treated for injuries after an FDNY Engine crashed into a storefront on Sunday night. It happened just before midnight, when FDNY Engine 254 was responding to reports of a structural fire on Bay Parkway when it struck a vehicle, according to authorities. The apparatus then struck a closed commercial building on Avenue U and East 4th Street, police told YWN. One civilian and five firefighters were taken to the hospital. FDNY EMS and Flatbush Hatzolah treated the victims. Thankfully, there were no life-threatening injuries reported. PHOTOS FOR YWN BY M.G. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie released a national TV ad Wednesday calling on all Americans to wear a mask to battle the coronavirus pandemic and avoid ending up “on the wrong side of history.” The 30-second spot comes about two months after Christie, a Republican and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, spent a week battling COVID-19 at Morristown Medical Center. “This message isn’t for everyone,” the 58-year-old former — and possibly future — presidential candidate says in the clip. “It’s for all those people who refuse to wear a mask.” “Lying in isolation in ICU for seven days, I thought about how wrong I was to remove my mask at the White House,” Christie continues.