“It is difficult to determine indices for exit from quarantine.” fire
(Photo: Shahar Goldstein )
According to Ash, “The new picture of the mutations, and especially the spread of the British mutation, requires us to exit the quarantine with a very careful exit. Depending on our conduct we will see if we can contain the disease and prevent another outbreak. We stockpile at a large rate and this will affect morbidity. “We see that the health care system has not been under pressure for a long time. We will have to open the economy more carefully than we thought a few weeks ago, and if we succeed, we will avoid the next closure.”
Prof. Ash explains the outline for leaving the quarantine
(Photo: GPO)
Prof. Ash reviewed the current morbidity situation and said that “in recent days we have seen a decrease in the number of verified. The infection rate, the same famous R has dropped to 0.9. However, there are some data that concern us. The number of hospitalized is still large, and the number of hospitalized in critical condition is close. “The number of respirators reached a peak yesterday, above 300. The number of respirators in the Acmo machine also reached a peak, 33. The daily number of deaths also reached a peak.”
“We are formulating two outlines to exit the quarantine we will propose to the government. One outline is limited to a high level of morbidity, in case it does not go down. If we see a reduction in hospital load, we can recommend the same outline. Of patients in hospitals. “
Prof. Ash explained that the Ministry of Health is having difficulty formulating measures to exit quarantine in light of the spread of the mutations and the vaccination campaign that is changing the picture here and there. “The number of verified is declining, but hospital loads are still high,” he said. “Every number we set would distort the picture.”
Prof. Ash added: “In a three-stage exit plan, the first step in exiting the quarantine will be to return to the pre-closure situation in terms of trade opening and limited studies. Then we will expand the opening of studies. There are two types of activities – limited activities “Extensive activities on a larger scale. The timing of the opening of the stages has not yet been determined. As long as the burdens on the hospitals remain large, we will not be able to leave the quarantine freely.”
“We have been following various indicators in recent days that indicate the effectiveness of the closure, and in recent days there has been a slight increase in contacts as a result of the loosening,” said Prof. “We feel it on the roads too. I urge citizens to adhere to the guidelines, it will greatly affect our ability to get out of quarantine. The less effective it is, the more we will have to make decisions about our ability to open up the economy less widely.”
Prof. Ash commented on the spread of the mutations in Israel and said: “About 40 percent of the daily vertebrae have been infected with the British mutation, and some estimate that as many as 70%. “30% more severe cases, we still do not know if it also affects the picture of morbidity in Israel.”
“We have identified the South African mutation in 27 cases,” added Prof Ash. “We are examining more cases and continuing efforts to locate all the infection chains. At the moment, the effort is directed to interrupting the chains so as not to increase the risk of this mutation. It is similar to the British mutation, but there is still a question mark over the effectiveness of the vaccine against it.”
“The Brazilian mutation has not been identified in Israel,” said Prof. Ash. “There are two cases in Israel of patients infected with a mutation that originated in California. We follow their infection chains and do not think there are other cases. In any case, the vaccine is probably effective against this mutation.”
Prof. Ash added that there is an increase in morbidity among children, but it is not clear whether the mutations cause more severe morbidity among them. “At the beginning of September, the proportion of children up to the age of 18 among all verified was 23%. Today it stands at 35%. In the ultra-Orthodox sector it is from 30% to 50%, because there is a younger population. But the trend is the same.”
Elrai Price: “The morbidity situation is problematic”
(Photo: Knesset Channel)
Earlier in the day, the head of the public health service at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elrai Price, warned against the continued spread of the British mutation in Israel – and said that Ben Gurion Airport should be closed for a month. She said, “We must buy time for Israelis to To be treated. I guess we will need a few weeks to allow the vaccination campaign to progress at a rapid pace so that the majority of the population will be vaccinated. ”
“We are in a problematic situation in terms of morbidity,” Elrai Price said. “The numbers are starting to go down but we are still with a big load. We got into this situation because of the British mutation.” According to her, the Ministry of Health “attacked” the corona tests when they first heard about the mutation in December, and began looking for the Israelis who became infected with it. “The difficulty, when mutations come in from England, is that we see a very rapid spread,” said Elrai Price. “At least 50% of the tests are from the British mutation. It started in the ultra-Orthodox sector and moved to the general sector – and now I am very worried that it will reach the Arab sector.”
Meanwhile, the Constitution Committee unanimously approved government regulations to reduce exceptions to boarding, which will take effect from tonight until midnight between January 31 and February 1. According to the regulations, leaving home for a flight outside of Israel is only possible in cases of medical treatment, the funeral of a relative or legal proceedings. The regulations also stipulate that the director general of the Ministry of Health, in addition to the director general of the Ministry of Transportation, will be allowed to approve an exit that is not included in these exceptions – for a special humanitarian or personal need. The Economics Committee has confirmed that starting at midnight, foreign aircraft will not be allowed to land in Israel and the Airports Authority will be able to prevent entry to Ben Gurion Airport from those who do not have a suitable permit.
Meanwhile, the number verified toCorona Since the outbreak of the plague this morning, it has crossed the 600,000 mark, and 68 people died yesterday from the complications of the virus – the highest number since the outbreak of the plague. Yesterday, 4,868 Israelis were diagnosed as positive for Corona, and the rate of positive tests was 9.3%. A total of about 53,000 tests were performed.
In hospitals across the country, 1,878 corona patients are hospitalized, 1,140 of them in critical condition. 358 patients – record number – connected to respirators. The death toll now stands at 4,437. The infection coefficient (R) of all sectors remains 0.9 – the ultra-Orthodox R stands at 0.88, the Arab R at 0.84 and the R of the general population at 0.94.
At the same time, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein updated this morning that more than a million Israelis have already received the second dose of the corona vaccine. 193,000 people were vaccinated yesterday. “Israel continues to lead the world with 3.7 million vaccines, and we are starting the week with about 200,000 vaccinated a day,” Edelstein said.
According to the data, 29.1% of Israelis received the first vaccine dose and 12.37% also the second. Among those aged 90 and over, 85% of the patients received the first dose and 52.9% also the second. Between the ages of 80 and 89 – 82.6% received the first dose and 51.6% also the second; In the age group 70 to 79 – 89.5% received the first vaccine dose and 59.4% also received the second. At the age of 60 to 69 – 72.2% received the first vaccine dose and 43% also the second.