Prof. Ofer Merin, Director General of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, spoke about the crisis hospitals are suffering from, and the proposal to cancel quarantine for children exposed to COVID-19 carriers.
Speaking to Reshet Kan Bet, Prof. Merin described the situation in his hospital, saying, "We always say that we've reached a new record, but yesterday the number of patients was the highest in the past two years. Our staff is short but we will have to treat more patients in the staff's cafeteria. That comes at the expense of elective patients."
"We are dealing with, on a daily basis, the question of whether we are managing with the current load to preserve the standard of care and save as many people as we can save. This is the line that worries us most.
"The people who are dying of coronavirus are divided into those who were not vaccinated and those who were vaccinated but had pre-existing conditions."
Regarding the plan to cancel quarantine for schoolchildren who are exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 carrier, Prof. Merin said, "From a medical perspective, the correct thing is to quarantine [them]. From a mental health perspective, there is a limit to how much you can tear apart families with quarantines of preschool children. People know that they have to get vaccinated and walk around with masks. I am concerned, but I am not raising a red flag."