Ministry of Health data: Differential closures failed

In view of the morbidity data, the Corona Cabinet will convene next Sunday at 09:00 to discuss restrictions on the economy. The Ministry of Health will recommend approving in the Cabinet regulations for “tight restraint”, the program of the Ministry of National Restrictions, which will enter into force if the average daily infection rate over a week is 2,500, or if the infection coefficient R is 1.32 or higher.

Meanwhile, 1,949 Israelis have been diagnosed as positive for Corona since midnight. This is according to data from the Ministry of Health. A total of 52,000 tests were deciphered and the positive rate was 3.8% – a figure higher than the average in recent days.

709 corona patients are hospitalized in hospitals across the country, 413 of them in critical condition. 106 respiratory patients. This morning the Ministry of Health reported that 166 patients are connected to respirators. It is not clear which of the data is inaccurate. 3,050 corona patients have died since the outbreak, 12 of them today.

Ahead of the discussion that took place tonight in the Ministerial Committee for the Declaration of Restricted Areas, the Ministry of Health distributed a document to the committee’s ministers stating that in 14 Arab localities that were closed, there was no change in the number of infected, and in some of them aggravation. In six localities, on the other hand, the differential closure proved its effectiveness.

According to the document, in Nazareth, which entered the closure on November 21 and left on December 4, the number of weekly infections on the day it closed was 263, while at the end of the closure the number of weekly infections was 322. Five days later there was a slight decrease in the number of weekly infections. About 291.

Another example presented at the office comes from the town of Qalansawa in the Triangle, where there were 54 weekly contagions on the day of the closure. On the day of the closure, there were 24 infections per week, but five days after the closure – the number jumped to 62 infections per week with a positive testing rate of 11%, as opposed to 5% five days earlier.

In Iksal in the north, a locality of about 15,000 residents, the number of people infected per week on the day it entered the closure was 15, and at the end of the closure was 24, with 5.8% of the tests that were positive. Five days later, the weekly number of infections soared to 62, with a positive testing rate of 11%.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the average number of people infected in Israel is still 2,122 – a slightly lower number than the transition to the “tightened restraint” program. The ministry estimated that Israel will reach an average of 2,500 infected this coming Tuesday. According to the plan, all street shops, malls, and markets except the stores defined as essential will be closed, schools in the orange and red cities will be closed (kindergartens will remain open) and half of public transportation activity will be reduced. The other businesses that receive an audience will also be closed.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health will recommend leaving businesses that work in a “one-on-one” format – hairdressers, beauty salons and cosmetic activities, as well as massage parlors.

At the moment, however, it seems that the requirements of the Ministry of Health will not pass easily in the cabinet – and they are likely to encounter opposition from Finance Minister Israel Katz and blue-and-white ministers who are members of the cabinet. The latter held a consultation today and at the end Defense Minister Bnei Gantz concluded that the position of the bloc ministers will be determined in accordance with the morbidity, mortality data and also subject to the presentation of the vaccination plan and its expected impact.

“The scope of the vaccines and their expected impact on morbidity levels is critical for making decisions that will affect the Israeli economy and the livelihoods of millions,” Ganz said. “We will seek all relevant information before convening the cabinet and only then formulate our position on the required restrictions.”

The Ministry of Health stated that complacency should not be allowed because of the start of the vaccination campaign, since only in five weeks to two months will its effects begin to appear in public. This is partly because it is necessary to wait three weeks between injections, and another week must be waited after the second injection until the effect of the vaccine is maximal in the vaccinated body.

The ministry estimates that the “tightened restraint” program, which if adopted by the Cabinet will run for three weeks, will succeed in preventing a general closure along with the effects of the vaccines. Cabinet ministers, on the other hand, are convinced that “tight restraint” will not help reduce morbidity sufficiently – and say that Israel will enter a general closure in about three weeks.

The vaccination campaign is expected to open on Saturday night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein will arrive at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer and will be the first Israeli citizens to be vaccinated. The next day, President Reuven Rivlin will be vaccinated at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

Israir CEO Uri Sirkis today referred to the plan to define all the countries of the world as red, and to demand that every Israeli who returns from them go into isolation: “Where is the creativity? Where is the start-up verified? The United Arab Emirates wants to acquire medical knowledge from us, but is ahead of us when it comes to operating inspection and verification procedures at the airport. “He said the intention is a” death blow “to the tourism and aviation industry, which will lead to the deployment of thousands of workers.

“All the foreign companies fly to Ben Gurion Airport and enjoy a generous grant program,” he said. “At that time, some Israeli companies received state-guaranteed loans from the state, but now Israel is closing Ben Gurion Airport and the sky and not allowing them to repay their debt. Israeli industry will feel this. “Directly at the prices of air transport. Thousands of households will feel the damage in their pockets, and tourism-based cities like Tiberias, Nazareth and Jerusalem will pay a heavy price and their welfare services will collapse.”

He added: “I learned in a ninth-grade citizenship class that the role of the government is to produce infrastructure, while the role of the business sector is to produce infrastructure-based growth. We did not receive a single shekel from the country since the crisis. “This Hersh sheep is being slaughtered. The political cynicism in managing the crisis is reaching its peak here.”

“Declaring all the countries of the world as red would land a death blow on the tourism and aviation industry, severely hurt exports and imports and corrupt diplomatic relations in the era of regional peace,” he concluded. “We are about three months away from a situation where a significant part of the population will be vaccinated, and the other will have herd immunity. I am convinced that the Minister of Transportation, who proved her determination, will change the unfortunate decision. We strengthen her hands and call on her to support Ben Gurion Airport and Israeli companies.”