As the Coronavirus Cabinet is poised to remove most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions and senior government officials boast of a supposed victory over the Omicron wave, let us remember the tragic toll the strain continues to take on the country.
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Israel went from being a global leader in battling the pandemic to one that is considered to have failed in curbing the Omicron strain: 1,400 deaths in the current wave and counting, Israelis who would have otherwise lived many more years; tens of thousands of critically ill patients, most of whom, doctors say, will suffer from side effects for months and even years to come; and millions of infections with some Israelis – including children – having to deal with long-term physical and mental symptoms.
As for the healthcare system, the reports with regard to the fifth infection wave are no less grim. And although most journalists, ministers, and even Health Ministry officials seem not to have noticed, hospitals speak of a decrease in the quality of medical care due to an acute and persistent shortage of medical personnel qualified to treat critically ill COVID patients and those on ventilators, which could lead to even more deaths.
The one thing we learned from all four previous infection waves is that rushing to remove restrictions results in more cases, more critically ill patients and puts more lives at risk, which is a heavy, unnecessary, and unforgivable price to pay.
The ministry's hastiness to remove the already few restrictions in place will cost us dearly, if Heaven forbid, another mutated strain arrives in fragile and unprepared Israel.
The ministry must encourage Israelis to continue to get inoculated and acquire protection against the virus. Then again, how motivated will the public be to get vaccinated if the government makes it seem that the coronavirus is under control?
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