ISRAEL– During the developments regarding COVID-19, we at Law Enforcement Today have seen ideas that range from reasonable, to outright silly on how to approach the pandemic.
But would isolating the elderly and allowing the youth to contract the virus be a viable approach? According to Israel’s defense minister, it could be a plausible solution.
Naftali Bennet, Israel’s defense minister, posted a video online on March 20th describing his rationale for the idea of allowing a certain portion of the populace to get sick.
Namely, the youth.
Israeli’s defense minister Naftali Bennet posted a video explaining that the country’s long-term strategy involved most of the population becoming infected with, and immune to, coronavirus while isolating the elderly.https://t.co/WERnuwdzb1
— Mark Grant (@mgrant76308) March 22, 2020
Bennet believes that if the least susceptible to complications becomes infected and then immune, it could allow the government to focus on and isolate the most vulnerable (essentially, the elderly):
“The most important thing — more than general social distancing; more than testing, testing, testing; is to separate old people from younger people.”
Bennet further explained the reality of mortality rates between those old and young regarding COVD-19:
“In many countries, zero young people died. Countries that many people died have 0% or 0.1% of folks under the age of 30 or 20 [that are dead]. Where old people over the age of 80 and 70, one out of five, one out of seven of them that get the virus, die.”
He said that we need to get the elderly as far away from the younger population as possible, for perhaps a month or more. In his mind, after the youth first contract COVID-19 and then become immune, the pandemic could be over:
“It will take three or four weeks, they won’t know they have the virus, and by the end of those four weeks, they will be immune. It will start with a tenth of a percent, 1%, 5%, 20%. When it reaches just about 60%, 70% of the population that will be immune, the epidemic is over.”
The justification in all this is that it could pose the benefits of creating a vaccine without really needing one, except that a majority of the population would just get sick – and realistically recover with little needed aid.
Naftali Bennet: Most Important Thing To Stop Coronavirus Is Separate Young People From Old People https://t.co/Mu3VNt862x
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) March 22, 2020
Keep in mind, there’s no insight as to when a vaccine would be available. It could be months away, if not longer.
The manner in which Bennet delivered the message, it seemed as though this isn’t some random speculation, but something the country intends to do:
“It might take a month, it might take two or three months, might take a bit more, but that’s the plan. Good luck. Take care of grandma and grandpa.”
Important message in English from Defense Minister @Naftali_Bennett @naftalibennett: pic.twitter.com/Ti6k5is1Ht
— Jeremy Saltan (@TheJeremyMan) March 20, 2020
So, the big question is whether the notion is sensical or not.
If one were to look into the data revolving around COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions provided by the CDC, Bennet isn’t really talking that crazy of an idea.
The deaths from COVID-19 between young children to 54 years old have been extremely minimal.
While there have been some cases requiring ICU admissions, most semi-complicated cases require “hospitalization,” which could mean someone simply visiting a healthcare provider regarding symptoms.
Once you begin to dive into the data of those over 55, then the death toll really begins to climb up.
This is what could be considered a collateral damage approach to things. Essentially allowing the spread to happen naturally among those best poised to survive, which could result in the virus basically disappearing for lack of a better term.
While it’s an approach unlikely to catch on stateside, it certainly is a unique one.
While some may say that Bennet’s articulated approach was unexpected, it certain;y couldn’t have been more unexpected than what Ilhan Omar recently said about President Trump.
She actually gave the president….a compliment.
Hell has officially frozen over. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are on the way. There is no other way to explain it. Ilhan Omar, one of the founding members of the Trump-hater club and poster child for Trump Derangement Syndrome actually gave the president praise for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Really.
Maybe there is hope for our country after all.
“Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time,” Omar wrote in a tweet Wednesday.
Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time. 👏🏽 https://t.co/MUzGkAxNaO
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 19, 2020
Omar, who is usually a staunch critic of Trump and who has repeatedly drawn negative attention from the president nonetheless put politics aside and praised the administration’s efforts in battling this unprecedented crisis.
Omar’s tweet was in response to another tweet which outlined some of Trump’s actions in an effort to soften the economic blow of the virus, which has decimated the stock market, severely threatened businesses and put the country in a virtual panic.
Some of the proposals include suspending mortgage foreclosures, proposing direct payments to American citizens, and invoking the Defense Production Act, which would force the private sector to manufacture medical supplies that are in short order.
“There’s never been an instance like this where no matter what you have it’s not enough,” Trump said at a White House press briefing announcing the Defense Production Act. “If we need to use it, we’ll be using it at full speed ahead.”
Big news today from @realDonaldTrump:
He is invoking the Defense Production Act to mobilize the private sector.
FEMA is fully engaged.
HUD is suspending foreclosures & evictions through April.
US Navy hospital ships are being mobilized.pic.twitter.com/VFeptL6lsQ
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) March 18, 2020
A $104 billion plan was signed on Wednesday, the second of two coronavirus aid packages signed so far. Congress is still working on a third phase of response efforts, an ambitious (and expensive) plan that would cost as much as $850 billion to $1 trillion.
That package would allocate up to $500 billion in direct payments to the American people to hopefully offset the economic damage from the global spread of the virus.
According to the White House, the payments would be made in two rounds, with the first on April 6 and the second on May 18. The payments would equal $250 billion each.
The package would also provide $1 billion in food aid to the needy and $1 billion in unemployment funds to states. The number of coronavirus cases reached over 7,000 and has now affected every state in the union, with West Virginia being the last state to record a case.
“Ayanna Pressley always says, unprecedented times require unprecedented leadership and we are seeing that in our country right now. I have faith that we will survive this as a nation and build together,” Omar added, referring to her fellow congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).
.@AyannaPressley always says, unprecedented times require unprecedented leadership and we are seeing that in our country right now. I have faith that we will survive this as a nation and build together.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 19, 2020
It pains us somewhat to say this due to some of Omar’s history of outrageous comments, however credit where credit is due—it’s nice to see politics put aside for a change for the good of the country. Some of Omar’s colleagues should follow her lead. Let’s deal with this national crisis in a non-partisan way…for everyone’s good.
Omar even added to her statement, saying, “we should never let politics get in the way of good policy.”
Finally, we should never let politics get in the way of good policy. This is a great start and hope others will be part of a united front to push for good policies that will help us work through the economic anxiety the country is feeling right now.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 19, 2020
“This is a great start and hope others will be part of a united front to push for good policies that will help us work through the economic anxiety the country is feeling right now,” she said in a final tweet.
This has been an odd week in politics in some ways, with some of Trump’s fiercest critics putting politics aside and giving his administration good marks for the pandemic response.
On Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters, “His team is on it. They’ve been responsive…I want to say thank you.” CNN’s Dana Bash, another frequent critic said that Trump’s tone on the virus made him “the kind of leader that people need.”
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a frequent critic of Trump’s praised the president for assisting the state of California with a situation involving a cruise ship, the Grand Princess, which was carrying 3,500 people, 21 of whom tested positive for the coronavirus after 46 were tested.
Trump allowed the ship to dock in San Francisco, which drew praise from Newsom.
“His administration—has been consistent with the expectation that we repatriate these passengers,” Newsom said at a press conference, “and we do it in a way that does justice to the spirit that defines the best of our country and the state of California.”
“He said, ‘We’re going to do the right thing, and you have my support,’” he continued. “He said everything that I could have hoped for…And every single thing he said, they followed through on.”
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