As of Thursday night, Israel's death toll from coronavirus stood at 985, compared to 383 at the start of August, and if the current mortality rate holds steady, the country is likely to see 1,000 fatalities by the end of this weekend.
Dr. Uri Galanta, an internet and expert in intensive care who directs the coronavirus unit at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, said Thursday that "There is a gap between what my friends and I in the health care system see and what the public understands.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
"We, the medical staff, feel like we're fighting a war of attrition, fighting daily for patients' lives, but when I try to explain how dangerous the illness is, I sometimes meet with zero comprehension."
Galanta says that the public has come to view COVID as an illness that affects elderly people with preexisting medical conditions, such as cancer. But excess weight is also considered a "preexisting condition."
"For example, a bit of a belly at age 50, which plenty of people have, is also a high risk factor," Galanta says.
"In my COVID intensive care unit, there are people on ventilators ages 40-60, without preexisting conditions, and that's hard for outsiders to grasp."
"The progress of the illness in the most serious coronavirus patients, the ones in intensive care, is very different from what we see with other serious illnesses," Galanta explains.
"The mortality rate for COVID patients on ventilators or on ECMO machines is very high, even when compared to other illnesses like the flu or to patients on ventilators for other conditions. Half of the COVID patients on ventilators don't survive, compared to 15% of patients on ventilators in the ICU with other conditions. These are numbers we aren't used to seeing. The ICU staff needs to feel that they're succeeding, and with COVID, our victories are unfortunately few, which leads to frustration at the professional level.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of Israel's efforts to battle coronavirus announced Thursday that the government would impose a partial national lockdown starting Sunday to try and contain the latest surge in new infections.
Professor Ronni Gamzu said Israel was facing a "pivotal moment" in trying to contain the spread of COVID-19, with some 3,000 new cases now reported daily in a population of 9 million.
He put much of the blame on what he called apathy among the Arab minority to social distancing rules and high infection rates in Haredi communities.
"Please, no weddings now, no mass gatherings ... anywhere," Gamzu, his voice rising to a shout, implored in a TV address. "There are cities in Israel that will be put under curfew and closure in the coming week and face economic, social and personal hardship."
Gamzu spoke after the Corona cabinet approved a lockdown for some cities, towns and local authorities designated red under the new traffic light system. Most are home to Arab or Haredi populations.
In Nazareth, residents have bypassed restrictions by having wedding parties and receptions at home, packing hundreds of people into driveways or gardens for events usually held in now-closed event halls.
The city of Nazareth said after Gamzu spoke that it was being unfairly targeted.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
