The fifth coronavirus resurgence has again turned the focus of the conversation to restrictions on the public, lockdowns, and the potential collapse of the healthcare system.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Once again, we and hear projections about thousands of severely ill Israelis, millions infected and the looming paralysis of public life. The Israeli public is waiting for the responsible professional to balance out this bleak picture, as hard as it may be.

Striking balance in hard. It seems much easier to predict a catastrophe. If the worst does not play itself out it's because we have succeeded to keep the pandemic at bay, so what's a little anxiety? This is not the way to gain the public's trust.

It has to be said that Israel is perhaps as ready as it can be to deal with the fifth COVID-19 wave. We are probably the most COVID-vaccinated country in the world, with 4.5 million Israelis also receiving the third booster about four months ago. Our healthcare system is strong and well adapted to the situation on the ground, and the Health Ministry has among its decision-makers several professional, experienced, responsible epidemiologists, whom the public trusts.

This is a time to project confidence and steadfastness – not anxiety and apprehension.

The current resurgence requires us to focus on proper medical management while focusing on the continuation of as normal a daily routine as possible, across the board. This is a time to ensure all civil systems are literally running as best they can in the economy, including trade, commerce, education, culture, and yes tourism.

Conditions are in our favor to make that happen, as long as we also stay focused on the healthcare system, push the need for vaccinations, and adapt testing and quarantine policies.

So far, the fifth wave in Israel has been true to how the Omicron strain has presented elsewhere: very contagious but less violent. In other words, four times more contagious, and about only a quarter as violent as the Delta strain.

Yes, the number of patients hospitalized will increase, perhaps even surpass the previous record but our hospitals and medical teams have already proven their strength in times of crisis.

The issue will be the number of active cases in the communities, which requires we support HMOs, which are likely facing double the caseload as in the previous COVID-19 wave.

Proper readiness will prevent chaos and angst. We should be grateful for our medical teams and cherish every doctor, nurse, and staffer. They will help us keep the pandemic at bay, this time, as well.

The timing of the fifth wave and the increase in Omicron and Delta infections presenting in patients who have been fully vaccinated, including with booster shots, stem in part from the familiar phenomenon of the decline in the effectiveness of immune protection.

This made Israel's unprecedented decision to add the fourth shot the right decision – critical, even, to our chances to weather the storm.

I urge the public not to be swayed by headlines citing superficial studies, rather stick to the Health Ministry's official recommendations, which are based on the medical and scientific knowledge we have gained so far, including that the efficiency of the vaccination wanes with time.

Five months ago, Israel led the way by ordering the second booster. It helped us roll back the fourth wave of the coronavirus. This is why anyone who is eligible for a vaccine must get it. The vaccines are safe, they protect us, and they will allow us to get through this resurgence as well.

One thing has not changed since the onset of the pandemic is that the ability to manage and contain the outbreak runs through tracing those infected. Israel has built one of the most extensive testing capabilities in the world and we cannot relent on them. The mechanism allowing for 200,000 daily PCR tests and hundreds of thousands of antigen tests must be fully utilized and even pushed to grow.

The change in PCR testing policies cannot result in empty stations. Partial information and fostering an air of indifference – there are already enough incentives to claim ignorance in the name of maintaining the daily routine – will not work in our favor. PCR and antigen testing have to carry on, wherever possible and necessary.

The continuation of the civilian systems' competency is highly dependent on maintaining the guidelines with respect to quarantine, exposure, and recovery time for patients in mild conditions. Adapting these policies to the characteristics of the current wave, in which most cases are mild, is critical.

There is also no need to be wary of opening the skies to tourism. Omicron is already here and it does not discriminate between countries or patients.

The tourism industry must again become a priority, not only because the risk is low but because a dynamic economy cannot shutter its skies for long.

If we have yet to adapt to living with the coronavirus, the Omicron should be seen is something of a "coach" variant that will make us do so.

Israel, for its part, must continue to show strength, leadership, and innovation, and public and medical resilience – not anxiety or panic. The public deserves steps the inspire confidence and are geared toward continuing life as we know it.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Chaos does not inspire public confidence   appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

After five weeks of a lockdown that produced underwhelming results, we must not grow despondent and lose our composure. True, the public is tired and in distress, the economy and the education system are paralyzed, and the daily morbidity rate continues to be one of the highest in the world, if not the highest. 

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

There is no choice. We must recognize that restrictions on movement, labor, gatherings, and trade do not work as well as they did in the past. This is not the result of the British mutation of the virus but rather the Israeli variant of distrust, fatigue, and distress that has seen the public find ways to make a living, meet with others, and live their lives. The increase in morbidity is chiefly among the young and the general population; They haven't been vaccinated, and they aren't really in lockdown.

The vaccines formed a defensive shield and significantly lowered the number of seriously ill; Without them, we would have a catastrophe on our hands right now. Unfortunately, the euphoria the vaccines created led to a sense that we had reached the end of the pandemic.

So, what do we do now? Removing restrictions on movement, allowing the economy to partially reopen, and reopening preschools and daycare centers [outside of red cities] are the right things to do.

Please, do not underestimate the courage required to make such decisions when Israel's morbidity rate is double that of the UK, and with the reproduction rate hovering around one. There is no choice but to make a responsible decision while explaining the complexity and risk to the public it presents.

As for the vaccines, we must return to a state of urgency and renewed enthusiasm. We must vaccinate everywhere and adapt the campaign to promote the benefits of vaccination to young people. Protection from illness doesn't work with young people, so promise them freedom of movement, the ability to avoid quarantine and to get their lives back and be able to enjoy experiences like concerts and dining out. We must act quickly, and we must be bold and creative.

The most important thing is to renew dialogue with all sectors of the public while ignoring campaign politics. We must speak to people's emotions by explaining that we are on the right path but we must continue to adhere to the guidelines and get vaccinated. The public wants to see its leaders and coronavirus chief explain honestly and emotionally the difficult situation we are in but also that the light at the end of the tunnel is truly very near. We must explain why slowly exiting the lockdown at current morbidity rates is a gamble that requires the public to act accordingly. 

Now is the time for every community leader to enlist their time and effort not to garner votes but to convince their members to behave properly, get vaccinated, and save lives.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post The Israeli variant of distrust and distress appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

I was glad to learn that these fears have been disproved, and I find that everyone is cooperating with me in full. But I am first and foremost proud of the public's response and cooperation.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter  

For the past two weeks, I have been trying my best to lower the coronavirus attack rate – the number of people infected by a single confirmed carrier – to below one, thus reducing morbidity without imposing a lockdown.

It is important to note that no country has tried to counter this kind of morbidity rate without shutting down public activity. Not even Sweden, where morbidity rates are lower than Israel's but COVID-19 mortality is far greater.

By following and observing the Health Ministry's directives, the public has been able to see the daily tally of confirmed coronavirus cases stabilize at 1,500-2,000 cases. But getting that number down to a few hundred cases requires greater effort, and without all of us making this effort we simply won't be able to do it.

This endeavor is likely to take several weeks and it will prevent a lockdown, but it requires all of us to observe directives very carefully.

I strive, against all odds, to reduce morbidity without imposing a lockdown, while encouraging the public's cooperation and increasing its confidence; by integrating the IDF's amazing capabilities to train thousands of people to conduct rapid, in-depth and advanced epidemiological investigations; by focusing on cities with high morbidity rather than shutting them down and giving local authorities the necessary responsibility, and be increasing municipal and police enforcement.

The rationale that drives me is humane and simple: instead of ordering a top-to-bottom lockdown, encouraging order for the bottom up.

The public has to have the confidence that this can succeed because this is the only way for us to defeat the coronavirus. In order to succeed, every sector in society must do its part – give a little for the country's sake.

The Arab sector must take control of the epidemic in Arab townships. It must comply with social distancing directive and forgo large parties.

The ultra-Orthodox sector and its leaders, spiritual and political alike, must speak out and demand that the mass gatherings and celebrations held in clear violation of corona directives stop because that means the loss of human life.

This may also not be the time to take a health risk in seminary institutions in front of thousands of students coming from "red states" with high morbidity, even in current isolation format. The High Holidays are nearing and imposing a lockdown during this time will take a toll on observing the decrees of the Torah.

The general public must serve as an example for full compliance with the Health Ministry's directive. I pledge to ensure they remain logical and fair to all sectors, taking into consideration their various needs.

As for the protests taking place nationwide: such rallies are the heart and soul of democracy and every Israeli seeking to protest can go out and do so. But while the coronavirus outbreak is raging protest must be cautions – wear face masks properly and observe social distancing as the locations allow.

Every gathering, legal or illegal, bares the potential to cause mass infections. The coronavirus does not differentiate between a wedding and a demonstration.

The politicians on the Right and Left who, despite the occasional jab, have faith in me,  must continue to place reducing morbidity and economic recovery as a top priority.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

All the politicians I spoke to this week, including the prime minister, are reluctant to impose a lockdown. They understand the socio-economic impact and the ongoing economic damage, but they fear what not taking the proper steps against this disease will do to our national resilience and global standing.

This is a wakeup call to the Israeli public. Let's make the effort and defeat the coronavirus. We deserve to get back to our normal lives as soon as possible.

The post Last chance to defeat outbreak without lockdowns appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The government acted correctly and quickly, thereby slowing the rate of infection and containing the event in hospitals, with reasonable medical results. We are still in the middle of the event, not past it, but along with exit strategies and rebuilding its economy, Israel has another challenge -- to help other countries where the crisis has caused healthcare systems to crash. First and foremost, it must help its biggest friend -- New York.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Israel's medical forces are professional and prepared to deal with a much larger number of patients that we will certainly be seeing in the immediate future. Today, we can provide help by sending trained medical teams to friendly nations where medical chaos reigns, without hurting our own readiness. It is our obligation to do so. The US, New York in particular, is a brave friend to Israel, a rock of defense and support which has always rushed to our aid.

The city of New York is in crisis. Its healthcare services cannot handle the number of current and future corona patients, which could send the system into a crisis resulting from insufficient preparation and the structure of healthcare services there, and especially the shortage of medical workers -- something with which Israel has the capability and moral obligation to help.

We've done it in the past when natural disasters struck distant countries. We were always the first to arrive and enlist in the most important mission of saving lives. We have a humane and national obligation to enlist on behalf of New York, but it is also a huge privilege for our healthcare system, which for years has been connected to colleagues in New York. It won't be easy to make the decision, as it entails a certain gamble on Israel's own medical strength. However, I think that at this time, sending a moderate amount of help would be a safe decision that would express in deeds our commitment to our great friend.

Professor Ronni Gamzu is the CEO of Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and formerly served as the director of Israel's Health Ministry 

The post Israel has done everything right, and now we need to help appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.