Monday, March 30, 2020

Israeli doctors demand health minister be replaced by professional

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H1TBUbCL8


In an open letter Netanyahu and Gantz, doctors lament years of neglect that left the country's health care system at its lowest point during the time of coronavirus outbreak; sources say there are no plans to replace Litzman in the next government

 

Donald Trump: Says N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo “rejected buying recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for the pandemic, for a pandemic, established death panels and lotteries instead. So, he had a chance to buy, in 2015, 16,000 ventilators at a very low price, and he turned it down.”

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/25/donald-trump/donald-trump-misses-key-facts-claim-new-york-gover/

Our ruling
Trump said Cuomo "rejected buying recommended 16,000 ventilators in 2015 for the pandemic, for a pandemic, established death panels and lotteries instead. So, he had a chance to buy, in 2015, 16,000 ventilators at a very low price and he turned it down."
A 2015 state report said that in the case of a "severe" pandemic, the state would be short about 16,000 ventilators during peak week. But the report did not recommend buying 16,000 ventilators, and did not indicate whether the state was at a fiscal position to purchase them.
The state did not plan to increase its stockpile because it anticipated that in the event of a severe crisis, there would be shortage of trained staff to operate them and demand would outweigh any emergency stockpile. The report said the state had to balance the likely ventilator shortage with the need for adequate funding for current and ongoing health care expenses.
The report issued guidelines on ventilator allocation if there weren’t enough for everyone and suggested that hospitals designate a triage officer or committee. It explored a lottery system, but did not recommend it as the primary option. Cuomo did not establish one.
Trump’s statement is inaccurate. We rate it False.

Society – importance


Berachos 58a):   . Ben Zoma once saw a crowd on one of the steps of the Temple Mount. He said, Blessed is He that discerneth secrets, and blessed is He who has created all these to serve me. [For] he used to say: What labours Adam had to carry out before he obtained bread to eat! He ploughed, he sowed, he reaped, he bound [the sheaves], he threshed and winnowed and selected the ears, he ground [them], and sifted [the flour], he kneaded and baked, and then at last he ate; whereas I get up, and find all these things done for me. And how many labours Adam had to carry out before he obtained a garment to wear! He had to shear, wash [the wool], comb it, spin it and weave it, and then at last he obtained a garment to wear; whereas I get up and find all these things done for me. All kinds of craftsmen5 come early to the door of my house, and I rise in the morning and find all these before me

הוראות גדולי ישראל: האם מותר לקיים מנייני תפילה בחוץ?

https://www.kikar.co.il/353588.html


מרנן הגר"ח קנייבסקי, הגר"ג אדלשטיין, הגר"ש כהן והגר"ש בעדני - אסרו על תושבי בני ברק לקיים מנייני תפילה ברחוב, הגר"ג אדלשטיין הוסיף כי הוראתו זו - לכל הארץ. ומה דעת יתר הרבנים?

 

FACT CHECK: N.Y. Governor Slams Trump Ventilator Claim As 'Ignorant' And 'Uninformed'

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/27/822998602/fact-check-n-y-governor-slams-trump-ventilator-claim-as-ignorant-and-uninformed

President Trump claimed during Friday's White House coronavirus briefing that the federal government shipped droves of ventilators to New York. What did New York officials do in response? According to Trump, they ignored the new supply and instead attacked the White House for not doing more to assist the state.
"We sent thousands of ventilators to New York, and they didn't know about it at the time they were complaining," Trump said. "They were going there in large numbers."
An aghast New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had this reply to Trump's accusation: "That is incorrect and grossly uninformed."

President Trump Extends Federal Social Distancing Guidelines Until End of April

https://time.com/5812313/trump-extending-social-distancing-guidelines-coronavirus/

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would extend national social distancing guidelines until April 30. They were otherwise set to expire Monday.
 

The virus and the plague of moral superiority

If you follow current events you will notice that this virus has become politicized. Republicans take it less seriously than Democrats. Religious less than Secularists. The young less than the old.

It seems that people think this is a punishment primarily against the deviant other. Thus religious Jews continue with minyan, weddings etc because they are protected by Torah and the absence of the sins of Internet, homosexuality,abortion and sheitel - and besides they give to the right charities..  Republicans are protected by loyalty to Trump and rejection of Clinton, Leftists and CNN and the New York Times. Submersion in Fox News is believed to be  a very strong weapon against the virus.

The young view this as a process of getting rid of the previous generation which restrict their lives.

Trump has stated that the hysteria is a Democratic and Media hoax directed against his reelection

As the mayor of Bnei Brak stated "people need to wake up" and realize the virus ignores religious and political affiliations as well as loyalties and information preferences.   As the Rambam notes hasgocha protist only is releavant for the few tzadikim who are truly davek with G-d. The majority of people live their lives according to the reality of Nature,Science and Medicine. Therefore if you don't listen to the doctors there can be bad consequences.  And to firmly believe this virus is only against the sinful is going to lead to something unpleasant.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

"אין להתפלל במניין": מאחורי הקלעים לפסק הדרמטי של גדולי הדור

https://www.jdn.co.il/breakingnews/1303298/

פרסום ראשון: המכתב הדרמטי שפורסם בשעה האחרונה עם ההוראה על איסור קיום מניינים הגיעה לאחר שהבוקר הגר''י סילמן חייג לרה''י הגרי''ג אדלשטיין והביא בפניו את קצב ההדבקה המסוכן בעיר, הפסק הועבר למרן שר התורה שהורה להוציא את המכתב
בשעה זו יוצאים רבני העיר בני ברק במכתב חריף בו הם פוסקים בצורה נחרצת כי על דעתם של מרן שר התורה הגאון רבי חיים קנייבסקי שליט"א ומרן ראש הישיבה הגאון רבי גרשון אדלשטיין שליט"א "יש להחמיר את אמצעי הזהירות ואין לקיים כלל מנינים לתפילה גם לא במקומות פתוחים, וכמו"כ אסור ללמוד בבתי כנסת ובתי מדרש רק כ"א ילמד בביתו".
 

הרב אלימלך פירר קורא לכם: "אנא, הישארו בבתים!"

https://www.kikar.co.il/353458.html


על רקע התפרצות הנגיף בעוצמה - בפרט בערים החרדיות - מפרסם כעת היועץ הרפואי המוערך הרב אלימלך פירר פניה מיוחדת לכלל האזרחים: "התכנסות בבתים זו מניעה, שהוכחה בבירור"

 

מרן הגר"ח קנייבסקי הורה להתפלל ביחידות: "פיקוח נפש"

https://www.kikar.co.il/353468.html



השו"ת המלא בכתב ידו של שר התורה

א. אדם שלפי הוראות הרופאים חייב להיכנס לבידוד כדי שלא ידביק אחרים אם חלה, והוא עצמו חש בטוב ואינו חש שום כאב או חולי, האם יכול לצאת מביתו, או שמצווה עליו להקשיב לרופאים למרות שמרגיש טוב?
"לשמוע לרופאים".
ב. אדם שטוען שהוא בוטח בה' שלא יחלה, ועל כן מזלזל בהנחיות הרפואה (בשמירת מרחק זה מזה, וביציאה מהבית שלא לצורך דחוף וכדו') האם אפשר להגדירו כ"רודף" כי עלול להביא אנשים אחרים לידי סכנה?
"כרודף".
ג. ואם ח"ו זלזל בהוראות וגרם למישהו למות, האם נחשב מזיד או שוגג? 
 
"קרוב למזיד"
ד. אם יודע על אדם שחייב להיות בבידוד שיוצא החוצה ומסכן אנשים, מותר לגעור בו בקול ובחריפות, אף שאולי יתבזה מכך?
"מותר".
האם מותר למסור את שמו של אדם שמזלזל בהוראות הרופאים ומסכן את האחרים, לרשויות החוק? וכן האם מותר למסור מידע על בתי כנסת ומוסדות שלא נשמעים להוראות הרפואה, גם אם יביא לקנס כספי גבוה או אפילו מאסר?
"מותר".
ו. האם יש להשאיר טלפון פתוח בשבת למקרה שהרופאים יצטרכו להשיגו ויוכל לענות בשל חשש פיקוח נפש?
"מותר".
ז. מה הציבור יכול לקבל על עצמו כדי לעצור את המגיפה הנוראה שכבר מתו בה רבים כל כך?
"להתפלל".

Report: Rabbi Kanievsky calls to pray without minyan

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277962


An order from Lithuanian-haredi leader Rabbi Haim Kanievsky, according to which one should pray alone without a minyan in these days, is expected to soon be released by the rabbis of the city of Bnei Brak.
The rabbis received the instruction from Rabbi Kanievsky, among other reasons, in light of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Bnei Brak and the very high number of diagnosed patients there in relation to the size of the population.
According to reports, Rabbi Kanievsky explained his ruling by saying, “It’s pikuach nefesh [a matter of saving lives].”
 

Turbulent Gas Clouds and Respiratory Pathogen EmissionsPotential Implications for Reducing Transmission of COVID-19

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852
Owing to the forward momentum of the cloud, pathogen-bearing droplets are propelled much farther than if they were emitted in isolation without a turbulent puff cloud trapping and carrying them forward. Given various combinations of an individual patient’s physiology and environmental conditions, such as humidity and temperature, the gas cloud and its payload of pathogen-bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet (7-8 m).3,4 Importantly, the range of all droplets, large and small, is extended through their interaction with and trapping within the turbulent gas cloud, compared with the commonly accepted dichotomized droplet model that does not account for the possibility of a hot and moist gas cloud. Moreover, throughout the trajectory, droplets of all sizes settle out or evaporate at rates that depend not only on their size, but also on the degree of turbulence and speed of the gas cloud, coupled with the properties of the ambient environment (temperature, humidity, and airflow).

Turbulent gas cloud dynamics should influence the design and recommended use of surgical and other masks. These masks can be used both for source control (ie, reducing spread from an infected person) and for protection of the wearer (ie, preventing spread to an unaffected person). The protective efficacy of N95 masks depends on their ability to filter incoming air from aerosolized droplet nuclei. However, these masks are only designed for a certain range of environmental and local conditions and a limited duration of usage.9 Mask efficacy as source control depends on the ability of the mask to trap or alter the high-momentum gas cloud emission with its pathogenic payload. Peak exhalation speeds can reach up to 33 to 100 feet per second (10-30 m/s), creating a cloud that can span approximately 23 to 27 feet (7-8 m). Protective and source control masks, as well as other protective equipment, should have the ability to repeatedly withstand the kind of high-momentum multiphase turbulent gas cloud that may be ejected during a sneeze or a cough and the exposure from them. Currently used surgical and N95 masks are not tested for these potential characteristics of respiratory emissions.

הגר"ח קנייבסקי בהוראה דרמטית: אסור להתפלל במניין בבני ברק

https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1090634

 התפשטות נגיף הקורונה בבני ברק: שר התורה הגר"ח קנייבסקי הורה בשעה האחרונה לרבני העיר בני ברק, כי בעת הזאת יש להתפלל ביחידות ולא במניין • מדובר בפסק דרמטי, שמגיע לאחר שבתחילת משבר הקורונה הורה הגר"ח קנייבסקי להמשיך את פעילות מוסדות התורה בבני ברק

Haredi Jews in NY accused of 'spreading the virus'

 
 
"From pushing the idea that Jews created the coronavirus virus to sell vaccines to encouraging infected followers to try to spread the illness to the Jewish community and law enforcement, as the coronavirus has spread, we have observed how white-supremacists, neo-Nazis and others have used this to drive their own conspiracy theories, spread disinformation and incite violence on their online platforms," said Michael Masters, the head of Secure Communities Network, an umbrella group that coordinates security for Jewish organizations and synagogues around the country.