By: Aryeh Savir
The Israeli health system is teetering on the edge of not being able to sustain the load of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients and the government must impose further restrictions on the public, Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Prof. Itamar Grotto told the Knesset’s Special Committee on the Novel Coronavirus
“I am worried about the situation. The hospitals are currently packed with patients and are teetering on the edge of being able to sustain the load,” he told the committee in an effort to convince them to endorse government recommendations to impose further restrictions on the public, included a weekend lockdown.
“We have over 550 coronavirus patients hospitalized in hospitals and this overload is causing distress,” Grotto told the committee chaired by MK Yifat Shasha-Biton, who has demanded data before approving the restrictions.
Some 255 of the hospitalized patients are in serious condition, of them 70 are on life support.
“Even if today, the whole country is locked down and no one leaves their homes, we will see a continuation of the infection,” he added.
Israel has been contending in recent weeks with the second wave of infections and registered 1,437 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of active patients in Israel to 28,037.
Grotto explained that one person can “create a huge chain of infection,” pointing to a graduation party in Raanana and a wedding in Dimona in which numerous people contracted the virus.
Since education institutions were reopened, there has been a spike in the number of infected children, he said, while stressing that the restrictions on gatherings are “blocking the disease.” Some 10% of the infections came from schools and summer programs.
The current morbidity rate, he said, requires the closure also of places that comply with the “Purple Badge” regulations. “A lockdown during the weekends is expected to reduce the infection chain by about 20%,” he said.
The government is still pondering interim steps that are “meant to prevent a general lockdown” following the sharp increase in the Coronavirus morbidity.
The Cabinet decided on the closure of gyms and studios for exercise or dance, restaurants and eateries were limited to take away and delivery only, with no on-site seating, and weekend lockdowns will take effect from 17:00 on Fridays until 05:00 on Sunday.
Israel on Sunday counted a total of 50,035 infections since the outbreak. 21,589 have recovered and 409 have died.
(TPS)
