A number of medical centers in Israel are reporting unusually high occupancy in several departments due to the dramatic rise in the number of hospitalized COVID and flu patients, as well as staff shortages caused by mandatory isolation for medical workers exposed to COVID or who have tested positive for the virus.
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Officials at University Hospital Samson Assuta Ashdod said Sunday that due to an unusually high number of patients on its internal medicine units and in the emergency room, as well as the high number of confirmed COVID carriers, the medical center had – after consulting the Health Ministry – decided to declare a two-hour moratorium on new patients and divert ambulances to other medical centers.
"There is a critical shortage of staff, which is making it harder to provide care," the medical center said.
Beilinson Medical Center in Petah Tikva also reported that the increase in COVID cases was affecting the hospital's activity.
"The rise in the number of COVID carriers is having an effect," the hospital, which is operated by Clalit Health Services, reported Sunday.
"Beilinson will open an additional COVID unit today [Sunday] on the third level of the underground parking structure. Starting this afternoon, Beilinson will be operating two underground COVID units, like it did during the third wave," the hospital added.
Beilinson reported that as of Sunday morning, it had 58 hospitalized COVID patients, 12 of whom were in serious condition, including three on ventilators. An additional 27 patients were hospitalized for flu complications.
The Shamir [Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center reported Sunday that it was reorganizing in light of the Omicron wave. The medical center is making preparations for extreme scenarios and has set up a new urgent care center, located next to the existing one. The new center will be used only if the number of patients requires it to be.
Shamir Medical Center reported that it had 88 COVID patients on five different units, 38 of whom were in seriously condition, including six on ventilators.
Dr. Itamar Ofer, president of Sabar Health Home Hospital, which provides home hospitalization services for all four of Israel's HMOs, discussed on Sunday the preparations his organization was making to cope with higher numbers of home hospitalizations.
"When assessments are warning that internal medicine units at the hospitals could collapse, we need to divert [patients] who don't need to be in the hospital to home hospitalization."
A senior Health Ministry official spoke to Israel Hayom about the growing number of cases and said that due to the situation, "there are already hospitals that have announced that they are cutting back on elective procedures. Both clinics and surgeries. Mainly due to the medical staff in quarantine."
Meanwhile, Professor Idit Matot of Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv criticized the government's handling of the Omicron wave in a social media post Saturday night, with particular focus on the mandatory quarantine policy.
"Professor Idit Matot here. We are currently marking two years since the beginning of the COVID pandemic and unfortunately, if there is one thing that is driving the decision-makers in this event, it's the spread of fear," Matot wrote.
Matot added that while Omicron was a form of coronavirus, "it cannot be compared to the previous variants, which caused serious, long-term illness with frequent need for ventilators and ECMO treatments. That was then. This is now. For a month, we've seen and understood that Omicron is very contagious, but has a minimal ability to cause harm. Minimal!
Matot said that rather than exhibit flexibility, decision-makers were insisting that people "imprison themselves at home," leading to a de factor lockdown and bringing the country to the brink of collapse.
According to Matot, the quarantine "insanity" must be reconsidered immediately, "certainly for asymptomatic carriers."
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Noam Dvir contributed to this report.
