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The Irony! The More Israel Doubled Down on COVID, the Worse Things Got
Epoch Times ^ | 09/18/2021 | Patricia Adams, Lawrence Solomon

Posted on 09/18/2021 8:55:20 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

“Our tolerance for people who do not get vaccinated has run out,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Sunday, exasperated that his vaccination strategy—arguably the most aggressive in the world—has failed to curb the Delta variant coursing through the country.

Instead of defeating the virus, as he had been promising for weeks in pushing a third COVID shot on Israelis, the number of Israelis at peril climbed steadily: 246 on Sunday were deemed critically ill, 178 of them on ventilators; a week earlier the numbers were 206 and 157, and two weeks earlier 203 and 153. About 400 Israelis died in the last two weeks, up from about 300 in the previous two weeks.

The happy talk from some Israeli medical experts earlier this month, when they expressed optimism the worst was over, is gone, replaced by dire reports of hospitals being swamped, staff in a state of post-trauma panic, and patients needing care instead hurriedly sent home—a situation deemed “catastrophic” in early September by Dr. Amir Neuberger, the director of the Rambam Health Care Campus’s coronavirus ward.

The head of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer’s Infectious Disease Unit, professor Galia Rahav, last week echoed that view, saying “the morbidity from coronavirus here is insufferable. … Patients who weren’t given a chance to live die because there aren’t enough beds and ICU staff. I see this at a lot of hospitals. It’s heartbreaking.”

The government’s response to the failure of its policies, in this, its fourth wave, is to blame the relatively few who remain unvaccinated and to double down on more vaccinations. Three shots are becoming mandatory to qualify for vaccine passports, and a fourth is on its way, in anticipation of future waves.

There’s a logic to accelerating the rate of vaccinations, just as there was a logic to Israel’s strict lockdowns and other measures to stop the spread of the virus—vaccines do seem to have a short-term benefit in reducing serious hospitalizations and deaths. A study ( pdf ) that Israel trumpeted last month shows that, after at least 12 days, those who received the third dose had 10 times the protection of those who only had two shots.

But the ongoing benefit is less clear since the vaccines wane, rendering them ineffective after five to six months, as seen in Delta’s success at felling Israelis. There’s also fear that the vaccine may prove all-but worthless against new virus mutations—the Israeli Defence Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate warned as early as January that mass vaccinations during a pandemic could lead to such a mutation entering Israel , and many fear that the South African C.1.2 variant will prove it right. The government’s response is to improve detection of viruses at Israel’s Ben Gurion International airport, in the faint hope that future viruses won’t be able to penetrate Israel’s porous borders, and attack defenseless residents.

Israel does have a COVID success story, which ironically occurred where its government most failed to implement its policies. Unlike most of the Israeli population, its ultra-Orthodox largely shunned lockdowns and vaccination early on, leading to a high rate of natural infection, followed by natural immunity and long-lived protection ( pdf ). The ultra-Orthodox represented 4 percent of Delta cases, according to Israeli Health Ministry data in August. Overall, Israelis with natural immunity represent 1 percent or less of Delta cases.

The same phenomenon of acquiring natural immunity appears to also apply to Sweden, which adopted policies diametrically opposed to those of Israel—no lockdowns to speak of, no shut down of the economy, few restrictions of any kind. As a result, Sweden’s population is believed to have acquired an early herd immunity, before the vaccinations became widely available, leading to only a modest hit to its economy, manageable loads at its hospitals—Sweden’s hospital system never exceeded its capacity—and, since June, an average of less than one COVID death per day.

Sweden is now removing its few remaining restrictions and its naturally immune population may be well positioned to weather future coronaviruses, in the same way it weathered Delta. Israel, in contrast, is besieged, unsure of when its fourth wave will subside or how well it will weather the waves to come. Not long ago, after Israel vaccinated a large proportion of its population and before the vaccines had the opportunity to wane, Israel was everyone’s model of how to tackle COVID. As the world learns more of Israel’s vulnerability, it may provide a cautionary tale of allowing short-sighted expediency to trump far-sighted policies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: boosters; covid; israel; vaccines
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1 posted on 09/18/2021 8:55:20 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

China’s covid numbers are just ridiculous.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/


2 posted on 09/18/2021 8:58:14 PM PDT by Jonty30 (My superpower is setting people up for failure, without meaning to. )
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To: ransomnote; Cathi; SecAmndmt; metmom; Pollard; HypatiaTaught; bagster; grey_whiskers; ...

Definition of insanity ping.


3 posted on 09/18/2021 8:59:43 PM PDT by Jane Long (America, Bless God....blessed be the Nation.)
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To: Jonty30

Like being led to the slaughter. Do they study history?


4 posted on 09/18/2021 8:59:52 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: SeekAndFind

Another great article from the Epoch Times. This is information you cannot get from the MSM.


5 posted on 09/18/2021 9:01:49 PM PDT by fireman15
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To: Jonty30

WHO in their right mind believes anything from China?


6 posted on 09/18/2021 9:02:16 PM PDT by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)
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Envision the political cartoon showing Hamas launching vax syringes into Israel.


7 posted on 09/18/2021 9:11:17 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Typical fools. I remember in the 1980’s when San Francisco had a problem with seals in Fisherman’s Wharf. The 100’s of seals slept everywhere and San Francisco threw everything at the seals: fences, bad noises, bad smells, etc. Then San Francisco gave up, the seals do their thing and the tourists are happy. Give up the vaccine addiction, let herd immunity to its thing and the citizens will be happy.


8 posted on 09/18/2021 9:12:03 PM PDT by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson.)
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To: SeekAndFind

then there’s this...

13 Sept: Cleveland Jewish News: Caught on hot mic, Israeli health minister says ‘green pass’ not based on epidemiology
Imposing “green pass” rules on certain venues is needed only to pressure members of the public to get vaccinated, and not for medical reasons, Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Sunday, ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Horowitz was caught on a hot mic telling this to Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, who was also unaware that the conversation was being taped and would be broadcast on Channel 12 News...

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett subsequently told the Cabinet that tolerance towards those who choose not to get vaccinated has ended, according to Channel 12...
https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/caught-on-hot-mic-israeli-health-minister-says-green-pass-not-based-on-epidemiology/article_e879d5b6-7635-5a24-8b3a-ce6c335bb45a.html

13 Sept: Times of Israel: Health minister on hot mic: Some COVID restrictions are to incentivize vaccines
Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern laments that the unvaccinated are taking up beds in coronavirus wards: ‘It’s irritating’
By TOI STAFF
Several ministers were overheard prior to a cabinet meeting on Sunday saying that some coronavirus-related restrictions are only aimed at incentivizing vaccination, rather than driving down morbidity, while lamenting that the unvaccinated are taking up hospital beds.
“I also think you can remove the Green Pass for outdoor restaurants,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, in footage broadcast by Channel 12 news on Sunday evening...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-minister-on-hot-mic-some-covid-restrictions-are-to-incentivize-vaccines/

following is Nick Coatsworth, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Australia, also admitting vaccine passports merely a method to push the vaccines:

VIDEO SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA: 7min45sec: 14 Sept: Townsville Bulletin, Australia: Vaccine passports could be ‘very successful’ if made temporary
Infectious diseases specialist Dr Nick Coatsworth says the way to make vaccine passports successful is to have them temporarily to encourage vaccination rates.

“You make them temporary. They’re not going to be around forever, ***they’re designed specifically to increase uptake rates,” Dr Coatsworth told Sky News Australia.

“They don’t exclude full participation in society, there might be things you can’t go to without a vaccination passport.
“It doesn’t fully exclude people from society, but it does give you an incentive to get yourself vaccinated.
“If we promote them in that sort of way then I think they could be potentially very successful.”
https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/national/vaccine-passports-could-be-very-successful-if-made-temporary/video/058e427eafc9f4d67921a352ecfc0497


9 posted on 09/18/2021 9:15:36 PM PDT by MAGAthon
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To: SeekAndFind

They keep jabbing people with the a vaccine designed to fight the Alpha variant when people mostly have the Delta variant. All these brainiacs can’t figure out that what worked against the Alpha doesn’t work against the Delta.


10 posted on 09/18/2021 9:16:56 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (In time of peace, prepare for war.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Maybe they need to realize that the vaccine IS the variant.


11 posted on 09/18/2021 9:17:26 PM PDT by datura (The voice that brought you peace has nothing left to say.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Perhaps some one needs to have a talk with NAFTALI BENNET who may be a smart person in many ways and perhaps maybe even a good politician but he appears to be lacking common sense, as anyone who has been following this pandemic by now knows that you cannot vaccinate yourself out of it. If he keeps up what he is pushing he may end up with a lot of dead Israelis, is this really what he wants? Hopefully he is less stupid than the powers to be in the US who are on the same path.


12 posted on 09/18/2021 10:08:30 PM PDT by saintgermaine (Saintgermain the time traveler)
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To: Jane Long

LOL

Good one.


13 posted on 09/18/2021 10:13:22 PM PDT by Salamander ("Salamander has barbaric tendencies" /Gundog)
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To: SeekAndFind
“Our tolerance for people who do not get vaccinated has run out,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated Sunday, exasperated that his vaccination strategy—arguably the most aggressive in the world—has failed to curb the Delta variant coursing through the country.

Just like crazy uncle joe says.

I guess liberals are all using the same playbook.

14 posted on 09/18/2021 10:16:33 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…)
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To: SeekAndFind
246 on Sunday were deemed critically ill,

Out of a population of nine million. Is that a crisis?

How many Israelis are currently critically ill with cancer, or heart disease, or kidney disease, or just the regular flu?

I suppose if the media ignored all medical stories except dog bites, reporting every severe dog bite in the world, every day, people would think there was a catastrophic crisis in dog bites. Everyone would be buying mace and wearing leather, bite-proof clothing, etc.

15 posted on 09/18/2021 10:19:16 PM PDT by Angelino97
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To: Jonty30

4,636 total Covid deaths in China! What an amazing country!

I recall early on and when they had maybe 700 dead. Some guy was in a meeting with some US government people regarding Covid and said “I’m guessing it is more like 7,000!” One of the head guys in the briefing said “70,000. Now lets get back to work here.”

In the USA it is about 0.2% of the population dead from Covid if the Worldmeters numbers are to be trusted. For China, with a population of about 1.4 billion, that same percentage would be 2.8 million people dead.

But, the Chinese live in much larger and denser cities than we do, so I’m guessing that transmission would be higher as well. NYC has about 0.4% Covid dead of the population. I’m guessing China’s numbers would be more like that. (So double it to 5.6 million people). Although had in poor medical care, living conditions, etc....


16 posted on 09/18/2021 10:29:02 PM PDT by 21twelve (Ever Vigilant. Never Fearful.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Honestly.

On the absolute basis of science (the scientific method and synthesizing what we know from the studies so far world wide), we should stop immediately fussing about covid politically. No more mandates for anything, with ONE EXCEPTION*.

No more doing anything you don’t wish to do, masking, vaccinating, etc. Live our lives normally. Protect our family members and neighbors who are ill or immune compromised. Shop for them and wear masks with them if it helps. Expect the metabolically compromised (including obesity) to have the facts they need now to be able to change their diets and lifestyles to protect themselves. Done. Fini.

*The one exception is that we should all mask up in senior residences and medical buildings. Forever. It should be the only thing coming out of this stupid pandemic. It’s as decent as lowering curbs on street corners for people in wheelchairs or with strollers.

Flus killed some of us every year. We did no stopping of society ever. We never shut down holidays or get togethers. Every Christmas party or winter wedding or concert was a super spreader event. Humans are MEANT to be exposed to germs and fight them off. Let’s get back to believing in ourselves.


17 posted on 09/18/2021 10:34:17 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: SeekAndFind

18 posted on 09/18/2021 10:35:48 PM PDT by Angelino97
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To: SeekAndFind

I was having this discussion with a friend in Israel yesterday. She is unvaccinated, which makes her a pariah. We were talking about the insanity of both Israel and the US in dealing with COVID.

The difference I see is the data from Israel is true and there are many more valuable studies, but the government does the exact opposite of the medical recommendations.


19 posted on 09/18/2021 11:35:16 PM PDT by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Save


20 posted on 09/19/2021 12:57:30 AM PDT by Eagles6 (Welcome to the Matrix . Orwell's "1984" was a warning, not an instruction manual.)
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