Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called on the government to impose a full nationwide lockdown for ten days to stem the skyrocketing infection rate in an interview with Ynet on Monday.
Steinitz added that he recommends a “breathable” closure, in which Israelis could continue to travel to work. He added that being in contact with the rest of the world “is essential to the Israeli economy…sometimes it’s better to make it difficult for ourselves for two weeks in order for it to be easier the rest of the year.”
A team of researchers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem published a document stating: “Another 100 coronavirus patients will die in Israel by the end of the month and if the current infection rate continues, more stringent steps will be required to stop infections including a full lockdown.”
The researchers recommended that the government wait until the end of the week to see if the increased awareness, the requirement to wear masks, and the closure of halls and events have decreased the infection rate, Channel 12 News reported.
The document, which was presented at the Knesset’s Coronavirus Committee meeting on Sunday, stated: “At the current doubling rate, a decision will be necessary at the beginning of next week regarding more stringent means of prevention in order to halt the deterioration which may lead to the failure of the health system to withstand [the number of patients].”
“From the beginning of the coronavirus in Israel we have been following the morbidity and mortality rate,” said Prof. Ronit Calderon-Margalit of the School of Public Health at Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center. “The most important item of data is the number of patients in moderate to serious condition. As opposed to the number of confirmed carriers which is influenced by the number of tests, the data on patients in moderate to serious condition is not dependent on the number of tests carried out.”
“Ten days after the government enacted coronavirus regulations, we saw a slowing down of the number of patients in moderate to serious condition. The reopening of the economy did not initially lead to a widespread outbreak but the turning point was the reopening of halls and events which led to a dramatic change in the number of patients in moderate to serious condition. The doubling rate of these patients is currently every 12 days, that is to say, that if the rate is not moderated, the number will double in another two days and reach a red flag.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
right….Lockdown for 2 weeks….open up..and we’re back to where we left off….
I don’t want anyone to die. But going into a lockdown will not keep the Israeli public “healthy”. Instead it will just delay the inevitable, while destroying the economy and the lives of healthy people. This is clear to see based on the first lockdown, and was predicted by several doctors (who also predicted that the cases would be worse after a lockdown since the citizens would be less healthy after being forced to remain inside for such a long time).
I think, perhaps, we should lock up the researchers at Hebrew University for a month to see how they do. Have doctors check their vital signs every day, while police guard their doors 24/7. Make sure they do not receive a salary and that the police fine them if they leave their homes. After a month, let these researchers come out and see if they come to the same conclusion regarding a general lockdown.
Finally some sechel. It’s not about confirmed positives like all the stupid doctors and politicians over here say. It’s about people being rushed to the hospital.
No need for a lockdown:
“It doesn’t matter that young healthier people get the infection. In fact there’s a positive. Because we know the way to get immunity in the population is to have more people who are lower risk get the infection and become immune. That’s the whole point of giving vaccines to stop the pathways of the virus to the most risky people. That’s why we give widespread populations vaccines, for herd immunity. And the way naturally to get herd immunity is to have low risk people have the infection, they build up immunity, and eventually the pathways to the high-risk people are blocked. There’s nothing wrong with more cases.” Dr. Scott W. Atlas, M.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a Member of Hoover Institution’s Working Group on Health Care Policy.
Levs: Hebrew U researchers are subject to the same restrictions as everyone else. They are just working to save lives, yours included.
PleaseStayCalm: 1. There is some evidence that herd immunity is not currently possible for COVID-19. 2. There is growing evidence that COVID-19 may cause long term health issues, even for young, healthy patients who were only mildly symptomatic. 3. Most importantly, even if young healthy patients do not suffer any symptoms or long term health issues themselves – they are carriers who can easily infect others who will suffer and possibly die.
While I appreciate the grave damage that restrictions and lockdowns do to the economy and to peoples’ lives, please bear in mind that strict restrictions and lockdowns have helped Israel keep the death rate of its citizens from COVID-19 far below those of the US and the EU. The people advocating for these measures are trying to save lives.