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At the entrance to the last line, it's time for a social contract Israel today

2021-02-28T22:31:25.794Z


| health Despite the events of Purim, I want to believe and hope that we will be able to get through the coming weeks in a smart and proportionate conduct that will prevent a painful fourth wave. Vaccine against Corona in Tel Aviv // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon The Israeli vaccination campaign is illuminating the positive aspects of the State of Israel in a precious light. The ability to respond quickly to em


Despite the events of Purim, I want to believe and hope that we will be able to get through the coming weeks in a smart and proportionate conduct that will prevent a painful fourth wave.

  • Vaccine against Corona in Tel Aviv // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

The Israeli vaccination campaign is illuminating the positive aspects of the State of Israel in a precious light.

The ability to respond quickly to emergencies, the unique infrastructure of the HMOs that demonstrates logistical and planning capabilities on the one hand and operational flexibility on the other, a medical team that attacks the mission and devotes its best days and nights, and a public that responds overwhelmingly to the voice of science Extraordinary and vaccination of half of the country's residents within two months.

Data from a study we conducted at the Clalit Research Institute in collaboration with Harvard University, which was published a few days ago in the world's leading medical journal, the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that we may very well be witnessing the "beginning of the end" of the corona epidemic in Israel. As a disruptive event and as the central component in determining the routine of our lives.

I say this even though the study did not show that the vaccinated are invulnerable - if anything, the study demonstrated that the vaccine is not a "vaccine" and does not provide 100 percent protection against a serious illness.





Given that the vaccine provides partial but very significant protection (12 times) from a serious illness and even death in all age groups and background morbidity, the vaccination operation reduces the potential for damage of the virus.

The end of this gradual process will be at a point where enough people in the at-risk populations will be vaccinated, and the severity of the morbidity even in the scenario of another wave of infections will be too low to lead to the failure of the health system.

But in the same breath it is important to emphasize - we are not there yet.

We have not yet reached this point, and it would be a painful mistake precisely at this point to lose control and allow a fourth wave of morbidity.

We must remember that the vaccination campaign has already reduced the potential for serious illness, but not yet to a sufficient extent.

We must therefore accept the fact that in the presence of a British strain that is more contagious and violent than we have known before, in the coming weeks only a combination of disease control and continued vaccination can lead us safely and gradually to a new status quo with disease - and gradation is the name of the game.





It is easy to see the complexity of the situation now.

If at the height of the third wave we had a hard time dealing with 1,000 new serious patients a week, now, even though most of the elderly population has been vaccinated, we are still witnessing 500 new serious patients a week, half younger than 60. It is easy to understand that his number was double - we would see 1,000 patients It is difficult even today, and the continuing difficult situation in hospitals despite the achievements of the vaccination campaign.

And in this context, vaccination of a few hundred thousand more adults will make a dramatic difference in the residual risk, which can happen and indeed happens in these weeks.

Along with the effort to complete the vaccination of the remaining risk groups and protect children who cannot be vaccinated, in the near future I will be required to understand an open public debate on what the new "social contract" will look like, with a gradual transition, with increasing emphasis on personal responsibility.

We will need to make sure that safe outlines continue to be available to all, but decide when the time comes to allow even "high-risk" outlines to be opened for those who choose to take part in them - once the risk of health system failure is reduced by decision makers as a provider. This and what is the proper balance has already been abandoned, but it is important to understand - we are still in danger, and we must drive moderately in the coming weeks to prevent an accident in the last few kilometers before reaching the destination.





At this point, certainly in the coming weeks, it is important to adhere to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.

It is important to continue to adhere to masks, distance and ventilation of enclosed spaces.

At the same time, it is important to continue to promote more and more of the "green mark" for reduced risk activity (even if not risk-free) for the vaccinated / recovering population, while increasing the horizontal and collective restrictions - as the morbidity trends allow.

Despite the events of Purim, I want to believe and hope that we will succeed in passing the next few weeks in a smart and proportionate conduct that will prevent a painful and preventable fourth wave, and at the same time - will allow rehabilitation and bring the economy back to life.

Prof. Blitzer is the head of the Innovation Division, Clalit Health Services

Source: israelhayom

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