Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday tapped former Health Ministry Director General Professor Ronni Gamzu as Israel's "coronavirus czar" after Prof. Gabi Barbash, himself a former Health Ministry chief, pulled his nomination.
Barbash had reportedly disagreed with Netanyahu on the mandate the new post would entail in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Ministry officials said Gamzu, the director of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, was "not as preoccupied with the fine print."
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
A Health Ministry statement said that Gamzu's powers "will be extensive, including responsibility for laboratories and epidemiological investigations." A ministry official added that Gamzu will have the authority "to do whatever it takes" to rein in the outbreak racing through Israel.
As head of the national anti-coronavirus campaign, the veteran health official has his work cut out for him: Israel has so far recorded 56,748 coronavirus cases, including 433 deaths caused by the respiratory disease associated with the virus, COVID-19.
Among the country's 32,060 active cases, 273 patients are in serious condition, including 78 on ventilators. Another 120 patients are in moderate condition, while the rest had mild or no symptoms. Some 23,560 Israelis have recovered from the disease.
Health Ministry data showed that 2,136 new cases were confirmed over the past day – the highest 24-hour figure recorded since the mid-March onset of the pandemic. With the figure exceeding the 2,000 daily-case benchmark Edelstein had set as a trigger for a nationwide lockdown, health officials warned that a second shutdown seems inevitable.
Netanyahu lauded Gamzu for developing a strategic plan for protecting senior citizens in assisted living facilities and nursing homes during the first corona outbreak, noting the principles he outlined are still being used. Edelstein pledged to offer Gamzu his full backing in the battle against the virus.
Taking to Facebook, Gamzu wrote, "The prime minister and the health minister have called on me to help deal with the coronavirus crisis on a national level. This is a medical, economic, and social crisis, and in such situations, I don't ask questions – I just show up and give my all to help my country and the healthcare system weather the crisis.
"The challenges are massive: We have to restore public confidence in [the government's] dealing with the outbreak; strike a smart balance between reducing infection rates and maintaining normal life; improve public adherence [to directives] and enforcement; truncating the chain of infection, and bolstering the healthcare system.
"These are the challenges for which every Israeli is responsible – all of us, not just the government, the Health Ministry, or any other national entity. We each have to lend a hand and do our part to lighten the load, to support [government efforts], and to promote unity rather than division. On the other hand, all government officials and state institutions need to listen to the public, heed its distress, and adjust their steps accordingly," he wrote.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has lobbied for the Home Front Command to take the lead in the effort to stop the spread of the virus, issued a statement saying he had spoken with Gamzu, congratulated him on his appointment, and offered him the full backing of the defense establishment to help fight the pandemic.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
