Israeli families from Corona ship launched a public campaign to bring their loved ones back to Israel • 152 signatures were collected in a letter sent demanding the state to act • "The Japanese carry out the big experiment in disease isolation history" • World Health Organization CEO: "The Corona is a very serious threat"

The protests of the families of ship passengers anchored in Japan continue. 152 The children and grandchildren of the Israelis on the ship sent a letter calling for their return to Israel. The request was made following the headline of "Israel Today", published yesterday, with a desperate call for help from Israeli passengers.

About 130 of the ship's anchors at Yokohama Harbor have been evacuated in recent days after being found to carry the Corona virus. There are 17 Israelis aboard the Diamond Princess. The 3,700 passengers are still in solitary confinement and are scheduled to leave on February 19. At the same time, dozens of other patients were evacuated from the ship today, and the suspicion that they were infected with the deadly virus was tested.

In the letter, which bears the title "and brought parents back to their border", Israeli families have turned to the state and are asking that Israel act to restore their loved ones so that they can continue the isolation period in the country. "It is impossible to continue to let the Japanese do as much as they can to the citizens of Israel. We are not prepared to be part of this experiment," they wrote.

The letter added that "our parents are not criminals, they are citizens of the country who went on a trip. The Japanese are doing the big experiment in the history of disease isolation. Due to the plumbing, electricity, environmental conditions and more, the healthy passengers are also exposed there."

"We demand that an emergency team be set up to take care of a sheltered enclosure in Israel, according to the engineering and medical rules, which will be accepted by our family for isolation in Israel, under acceptable medical conditions. This team needs to work with the Japanese immediately to release them," they added.

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The daily update issued by the Ministry of Health said: "So far, about 140 patients have been tested in Israel who have suspected that they have been infected with the corona virus. All the answers received are negative, and have not yet been diagnosed in Israel with the virus at this time. , And the system continues to work around this scenario.

To this end, the Ministry of Health has increased the number of tests in the central laboratory in Tel Hashomer, and will in the coming days prepare three additional laboratories for testing and validation of the corona virus.

Speaking to Professor Eyal Leshem, an infectious disease specialist at Sheba Hospital and Herzliya Medical, he explained: "There is concern that in countries such as India, Pakistan and African countries, where the health system is underdeveloped, the virus passes from one to the other without any reports.

Medical personnel descend from Corona ship Photo: Reuters

"In China, too, there is a possibility that there are quite a few victims and infected who still do not know about them. There are also quite a few recoverers, and this is mainly due to a proper immune system. There is no cure for the virus, and those in risk groups may experience difficulties in coping with the disease."

Professor Sigal Sadecki, head of public health at the Ministry of Health, addressed the issue of Israeli passengers being isolated on the passenger ship off the coast of Japan: "Libby with the passengers, but if there is no such thing in Israel, we will act like the Japanese. Our opinion on the matter is clear - if they want To bring Israeli passengers to Israel, we have no objection to proper isolation. "

"Very serious threat"

The Ministry of Health epidemic team, where expert members and representatives of all bodies in the health system, discuss daily developments and new information. On the assessment that has been heard in recent days, according to which the eruption will wane in April, Prof. Sadecki says: "There are viruses that have seasonality. I wish the corona spread would wane in April, but that is not our work assumption."

The number of victims of the Corona virus crossed the symbolic threshold of 1,000 yesterday, reaching 1,018, after 109 patients died in China within 24 hours. The number of recent infections, as of yesterday, was 43,141 - all but 400 patients in China.

World Health Organization chief Tadros Avanum Jibrasius said the outbreak of the virus is "a very serious threat to the rest of the world." He said a first vaccine may be available in 18 months. He said any infectious virus "could lead to more powerful consequences than any action. terrorism".

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the identity of a so-called "super-distributor" was revealed, which infected at least 11 people with the virus after returning from Singapore. Steve Walsh (53) told Sky News that he had completely recovered from the virus. Walsh contracted the virus during a business conference in Singapore, from where he flew to a French ski resort and, without his knowledge, caught five British, five French and one Spanish citizen. The number of infections in Vietnam rose to 15 yesterday, with one of the new infections being a 3-month-old baby. In the United States, the 13th patient was located in San Diego.