Director of Shaare Zedek Medical Center Professor Ofer Marin told the Knesset's Coronavirus Committee this morning that within two to three weeks, the hospital may no longer be able to provide patients with the current standard of care.
"At Shaare Zedek, there are currently just over 80 patients [with coronavirus]. At present, the system is able to cope. The number of elective procedures being conducted has declined, and in general fewer people are being admitted as they are less likely to be injured when they stay at home. We are ready to accommodate up to 300 [coronavirus] patients, and have been preparing for this eventuality.
"It is appropriate to mention at this point that our ethical standards will need to change if we reach a situation in which we have 5,000 patients in serious condition. In such a scenario, the standard of care will inevitably be lower than the treatment we are able to provide today. In two or three weeks, Shaare Zedek Hospital may not be able to maintain the same standard of care."
Professor Marin added that "in order to prevent a situation arising where we lose the trust of the public when standards are unavoidably lowered, we have to be transparent with them from the outset."