Israel ‘losing control’ of virus, warns head of infectious diseases group

“We are close to the point of no return where there will be mass infection and burdens of severely ill patients,” wrote ISD head Miri Weinberger.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

The Israel Society for Infectious Diseases (ISD) warned the Health Ministry on Sunday that Israel will soon be unable to contain the coronavirus if decisive action isn’t taken immediately, reports Kan radio.

“Over the past two weeks, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of daily coronavirus infections. In recent days there has also been a rise in the ages of those diagnosed and hospitalized,” ISD head Miri Weinberger wrote in a letter to Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy.

“We are about to lose control of the epidemic in Israel. We are close to the point of no return where there will be mass infection and burdens of severely ill patients,” she wrote.

“The window for effective action is closing and if we do not begin at the start of this week, we will miss the boat and may even lose control.”

According to the Israeli radio station, Weinberger recommended ramping up efforts to curb the virus’s spread, such as improving testing methods, providing medical staff with more effective personal protective equipment (PPE), and keeping a running inventory of medicine being used during treatment.

With coronavirus numbers soaring over the past week, the government is prepping to reimpose coronavirus regulations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his cabinet early Sunday morning to plan what regulations should be reinstated.

Some regulations being considered are reducing the number of public gatherings, canceling summer camps, letting workers who have returned to offices to go back to working remotely, and limiting the number of beachgoers.

On Saturday another 76 people became infected, bringing the number of active cases to 6,160 active cases and raising the death toll to 318, according to the Health Ministry.

One of those deaths includes a 19-year-old woman who died on Saturday at Hadassah-Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem.