A Different Conclusion

Israeli media announced two treatments that apparently cure Covid-19. One, from Prof. Nader Arber, head of a research team at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, discovered that the Crown inhalation treatment using the drug EXO-CD24, inhaled once a day for five days, cured 29 out of 30 moderate to severe hospitalized patients. TV interviews showed them at home after the fifth treatment. According to media reports “This drug can resist all known mutations, as it acts on the cells of the human body and causes them to properly fight the coronavirus.” The treatment has been fast-tracked for phase II and III trials, and has attracted international attention.

Another treatment was discovered at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem using the “Allocetra” drug, developed by Dr. Dror Mevorach. The treatment enters phase three trials and shows 90% effective in serious to critical patients.

In Britain,Oxford University researchers say a common asthma drug, budesonide, is effective in reducing the need for urgent care or hospitalization by 90% when administered to patients within a week of first symptoms

Also, U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly  announced they’d received FDA approval for emergency use of their drug that was proven 70% effective in mild to moderate cases of Covid-19.  So there is hope for a cure looking to find a different more positive conclusion to those stricken with Covid-19.

Worldwide 108,298,669 people were infected, at a rate of 13,879 per million, with 2,378,875 deaths at a rate of 305 per million, with 99,948 critical cases and 25,654,392 active cases.  #1 in the world was still the USA there were 28,002,240 cases at a rate of 84,294, with 486,922 deaths at a rate of 1,466 with 20,407 critical and 9,584,499 active cases. In Israel, still #27 in the world, with 714,812 infected at a rate of 77,717 per million, with 5,283 deaths at a rate of 574, per million with 972 critical and 64,597 active cases.

An Israeli HMO Maccabi official stated that of 523,000 fully vaccinated Israelis only 4 later became severely ill and none died. Meanwhile, Israel has vaccinated over 3 million people, including those over 16, foreign workers, and Palestinians working in Israel.

Still, according to media reports, the rush to get vaccinated in Israel has slowed down drastically with 2.5 million Israels still unvaccinated, among them 350,000 in the ‘at-risk’ 60+ group. Reportedly anti-vaccination false information has been pouring into the ultra-orthodox community, the most highly infected in the country. Yesterday, a 36-year old Haredi man, with a pre-existing condition, died of Corona. He eschewed the vaccine after reading that the shot could cause sterility, something to be avoided in a sector that considers large families enviable.

Statistics released today in Ynetnews shows that  one in 75 ultra-Orthodox over 65 died of Corona. In the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) town of Bnei Brak every fifth person had Corona, that was 21.6% of the town. The Haredi town of Modiin Illit was higher with 29.9%. By contrast the largely secular cities shows a striking disparity. Haifa had only 4.9% while Tel Aviv had only 4.6%.

The Israel government has gone after what they called the “Coronavirus Conspiracies.” Facebook closed down some of their users disseminating false information about the vaccine, and one ultra-Orthodox rabbi was arrested for his on-line statements.

On Sunday. the nearly six-week lockdown in Israel ended, allowing small stores, barber shops and beauty parlors to reopen. Israel also began to reopen their schools with children in 1-4th grade and 11-12th returning part time to class  The malls still remained closed, although yesterday three malls all in different cities tried to reopen but were shut down by police.

On a positive note, two Americans were rewarded with prestigious Israeli prizes. Singer Stevie Wonder was awarded the Wolf Prize, and producer/director Steven Spielberg was awarded the Genesis Prize, considered Israel’s Nobel.

Then there’s the trials. In the USA the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, and in Israel, the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  In the Trump impeachment trial, a former federal prosecutor told Fox News that there wasn’t enough direct evidence to convict Trump of incitement. The former prosecutor said the impeachment should have aimed at the charge of  ‘dereliction of duty,’ showing that Trump did nothing during those hours the Capitol had been occupied by a rioting mob.

Most commentators doubt that the senate Democrats have the 17 Republican votes needed to convict Trump of incitement to riot. Some pundits said there was a chain of Tweets and statements Trump made that stretched back to 2016 deriding first Hilary Clinton, his rival in the presidential race, the Democratic party and Democrats in general. He has hinted broadly that something drastic has to be done to Make America Great Again. However, he never came out and explicitly called for an armed rebellion. He danced around like Mohammad Ali when opponents tried to hit him, but always, say legal analysts, dodged uttering the critical phrases needed to convict him.

Observers say that his followers were not as cautious. The Impeachment Mangers making the case in the senate trotted out quote after quote taken from social media that were clearly incitement, clearly showed an intent to do harm or even murder, but Trump, say these observers, never did. According to most analysts, those followers should be arrested, tried, and convicted. They attempted a coup and committed murder. But, as one observer said, stringing together all of those messages Trump sent out in text or in speeches, the messages still don’t add up to the right conclusion, that that directly and unequivocally incited the rioters.

Some hope that the Senate will draw a different conclusion than acquittal since the impeachment isn’t a court of law. Media reports state that Trump still has a large following and there are those in the Republican party who are urging him to run in 2024. Some analysts say that the Senate could obviate that option by voting by a “simple majority” to prohibit Trump from ever running for a pubic office again. However, the same analysts also say that such a decision is on shaky constitutional grounds and the Supreme Court would have to make the final decision, should the court even agree to hear the case. Meanwhile, the impeachment process goes on and those still seething over events of Jan 6 can only hope, probably in vain, for Trump to be convicted.

Israel has their own trial going on. Prime Minister Netanyahu, indicted on three counts of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust, returned to court briefly this week. He denied any wrong doing and called his accusers liars. News reports hint that Netanyahu is worried about one of the witnesses against him returning to court and dropping a bombshell. No names are given but Haaretz ran a drawing of Netanyahu alongside of billionaire Arnon Milchen, who reportedly provided Netanyahu and his wife with hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts of cigars, champagne and even diamonds.

Protestors still gather weekly outside of Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence calling for him to resign. With new Israeli elections looming, the fourth in two years, some in the anti-Netanyahu camp are hoping for a different conclusion to the next election, to be held on March 23rd. If Netanyahu’s past winning record holds, the results are already foretold, even if Netanyahu is now courting the ultra-right wing Kahanist parties, a move unfavorable to mainstream Likud voters. But, say the pundits, like the new drugs that seem to stop Covid-19 in its tracks, there’s also a chance for a different conclusion to what seemed like an inevitable outcome in the upcoming election.