Preparing for a quarter of a million vaccines a day

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Closed at least until the end of next Sunday, January 31 – this is the decision made last night (Tuesday) in light of the increase in the number of corona carriers and the positive test rate, which stood at 10.03% yesterday and yesterday, after processing some of the tests, at 9.6%.

Health Minister Edelstein, Tuesday: “It is impossible to live with an average of 8,160 verified per day”

The government also decided on a charge for presenting a negative corona test to anyone wishing to enter Israel from abroad (see details in a separate article on the right) and on extending the use of GSS IDPs for three weeks. Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, who is in charge of the issue, said: “Against the background of the illness and in light of the tool’s contribution to the fight against Corona, which currently the tool has saved the lives of at least 500 Israelis, there is no escape.”

The ministers also discussed the treatment of 11th-12th grade students who take the matriculation exams. Health Ministry Director General Hezi Levy said at the hearing that the ministry would examine whether they could be vaccinated against the corona to allow them a school routine. At the same time, the government confirmed that they could be tested for matriculation in schools, according to established rules.

A woman walks the streets of Jerusalem during the closure, Tuesday // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Representatives of the health system estimated at the hearing that the closure does not lead to a decrease in the extent of the disease, as a result of the spread of the corona mutations, whose infectious power is much greater than the original virus. White-brush ministers have raised allegations of inadequate enforcement of quarantine regulations, particularly in the ultra-Orthodox sector. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Internal Security Amir Ohana, and the new Commissioner, Kobi Shabtai, rejected their remarks. According to data presented by Saturn, the Israeli police enforce the closure relatively more than any other police in the West.

250,000 vaccinated a day

Even before the government’s decisions, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, instructed to lower the age of vaccinators from 45 to 40, in coordination with the health funds. At the same time, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein instructed the director general to prepare for 250,000 vaccinations a day.
While members of the priority committee in the Ministry of Health recommended opening up the possibility of vaccinating pregnant women as well. The reason: the large number of cases from the last days of pregnant women who fell ill in Corona and deteriorated to a serious condition. The position paper, published by the National Council for Gynecology, the Israeli Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Association of Fertility Specialists and the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine, also helped provide the recommendation. The paper states thatCorona infection during pregnancyMay cause more serious illness and premature birth, so it is important to get vaccinated.
A young man receives the vaccine against Corona, in Jerusalem, yesterday // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
“There is no evidence that the corona vaccine harms male or female fertility, and it is recommended that women and couples undergoing fertility treatment be vaccinated,” the paper said.“Pregnant women who are interested in this can be vaccinated, especially if they are at high risk of exposure to the virus and it is recommended that breastfeeding women also be allowed to be vaccinated against corona.”

“There is no increase in abortions”

Since the beginning of the corona outbreak, 6,512 pregnant women with corona have been diagnosed in Israel. One of them passed away in August. In the last two months, there has been a jump in the number of pregnant women with corona: 1,238 women were diagnosed in December and 1,726 in January. Currently, there are 8 pregnant women in critical condition and two in critical condition.

Prof. Roni Maimon, Chairman of the Israeli Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Women’s Division at Shamir – Assaf Harofeh Medical Center: “I estimate that the increase in cases of pregnant women with corona and pregnant women in a difficult situation is due to the nature of the disease. In the first and second wave there was an older population and now the morbidity is very widespread and reaches pregnant women as well. When the morbidity reaches such a large mass, it also ‘catches’ pregnant women and of childbearing age. “Maimon added that there is no increase in the number of miscarriages or congenital malformations as a result of corona infection.

Corona test in Jerusalem, about two weeks ago // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

The nurses are demanding help

Meanwhile, the Histadrut of Brothers and Sisters joined the voices warning yesterday about the congestion in the hospitals. The chairman of the Histadrut, Ilana Cohen, sent a letter to Netanyahu demanding an emergency hearing on the immediate reinforcement of brothers and sisters both in hospitals and in the community. Cohen wrote, “All of the aforementioned difficulties have a tragic and direct impact on the quality of health services for the residents of the country, to the point of harming the soul.”

Cohen’s words resonate in a report published yesterday by researchers at the Hebrew University. According to the report, since the burden on hospitals is expected to remain high in the next two weeks, the high mortality rate will cause Israel to cross the 5,000-death mark in February.

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