Commissioner for the Fight against Corona Prof. Roni Gamzu: 40% of the 9,000 infected are Hareidi

Commissioner for the Fight against Corona Prof. Roni Gamzo said that 40% of the new nationals in recent days are ultra-Orthodox - and that there is a disturbing increase in the number of ultra-Orthodox patients over 60. In a briefing to the media on Thursday, , And hopes that in the coming days it will be possible to see the consequences of the closure that began already on Rosh Hashanah.
"We woke up this morning with 9,000 verified cases," Gamzo said in his opening remarks, which were made in the background of the jump to 32 deaths a day. The number of victims today stands at 1,571 people when for comparison, on September 1 the number stood at 944.
"It did not surprise me. I prepared everyone for the fact that after Yom Kippur the number will be a summary. We need to look at the number four days back. Today will also end with 70,000, or more, tests conducted. "Take the entire amount of tests and see if the trend we expect begins, because we are close to two weeks from the first stage."
Gamzo said that "this is the stage where the reduction of morbidity begins, after the climax of the closure. Today I will visit one of the ultra-Orthodox localities to see up close the existing complexities and do everything possible to strengthen them. We are with a finger on the pulse. "
Gamzo insisted that the decision to impose a closure was necessary due to the morbidity situation. "Obviously the closure was required. The numbers went up very significantly. On September 1 we were still at 1,700-1,500 infected a day," the professor said. "It cost us very, very fast. The decision was right, it's a means you all know I did not want, but I said that once we crossed the mountain and the hospitals would raise a flag - and that's things that happened at once - I did not stop for a moment and indeed asked for tight restraint.
"The closure is effective. We clearly see less traffic and less contact at weddings and gatherings in one sector or another. As long as we maintain the guidelines with the industries we have opened, we will be able to release," he added.
The corona commissioner insisted he refused to allow the education system to be opened on any issue. "Studies are studies are studies. Everyone gathers in a closed area, whether in a yeshiva or in the 11th grade. The decision will have to be made together with all the parties involved with explanation and sensitivity. "Schools and meetings are important to everyone, but things must be accepted in a uniform manner."
Regarding flights, he noted that "some of the steps you take in closure conditions are to reduce traffic and reduce the possibility of crowding in broad aspects. There is not always an epidemiological justification, the truth must be told. In some situations it is not only epidemiology that determines .
Gamzo was asked if he was considering leaving the post, and said he wanted to meet a pre-determined date - November 1 - to return to the Ichilov Hospital he runs. "It is very difficult for me. I was in Ichilov today. I have to make decisions there and want to go back there in November," he said. On the proposal to former health ministry director general Bar Siman Tov, Gamzo replied that “Bar Siman Tov is a friend and we are going a long way together. I manage this crisis also while having a conversation with Moshe. "If the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health decide that he is the next projector - I will only be happy. Moshe is a worthy person, we have a healthy and good discourse. We need a strong person who knows how to withstand pressure."
On the goals of the Corona Cabinet, which set a target of 400 infected per day to remove restrictions, Gamzo said that "it is not certain that insisting on numbers is the right thing to do. The targets also depend on the coefficient of infection."
Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kish earlier informed the Knesset's Constitution Committee that more than 9,000 people were diagnosed yesterday and the number of seriously ill patients rose to 854. Yesterday, more than 65,500 tests were performed, 13.6% of which were positive. That is, one in every 7.3 subjects was found to be positive for the virus. The Ministry of Health noted that the sharp increase in the number of infected comes after a significant decrease in the number of tests performed last weekend and around Yom Kippur.
Gamzo's remarks were made against the background of a meeting of the Corona Cabinet that took place last night, during which he presented his position regarding the manner and indicators that will be determined and according to which Israel will emerge from the current closure. According to the outline he presented, relief will be given in one area or one sector, and then there will be a three-week wait between stages. The decision on the transition between the steps will be made according to the coefficient of adhesion.
While former Ministry of Health Director General Moshe Bar-Siman Tov emphasizes the education system, Gamzo has not yet formulated a specific plan or metrics for the education system, and does not specify at this stage when children will return to schools and kindergartens.
On the other hand, the two do not disagree that the first to return to the frameworks will be the children of the nurseries, kindergartens and the lower grades in the schools. According to Gamzo's plan, in order to be able to start the steps out of quarantine and return to routine, the coefficient of infection (R) should be lower than 0.8, the number of patients difficult should be lower than 700, and the percentage of positive tests lower than 5%.
When the coefficient of infection is between 0.8 and 0.9, it will be possible to consider opening a domain, which is estimated to increase the coefficient of infection by only 0.1, but if the coefficient of infection exceeds 0.9 - stop and do not proceed in the next opening stages, and consider further aggravation of the guidelines. If the adhesion coefficient exceeds 1.1, return to the previous step immediately.
Gamzo noted that "going out in low numbers increases the ability to open up the economy." The first to return to activity, according to the outline presented yesterday by the projector, are high-tech workers, alongside open-air jobs such as agriculture and construction. Retail sales in malls and markets will return later. Places of entertainment and recreation with a crowd - cinema, music and entertainment shows, sporting events and the like - will be the last to return to activity.