Israeli Politics, Massacres and Disasters, World Politics

Coronavirus: Are More People Dying Than We Know?

caregiver with elderly patient

Our eyes have been on Israel during the global pandemic. The Jewish State took precautions much earlier than other countries, and there have been fewer cases and fewer deaths. But all may not be as it seems. According to Ynet, a senior official of Magen David Adom says the number of deaths may be higher. “When someone dies at a geriatric center, in many cases, MDA is not called at all,” said the official, referred to only as “Strugo.” “An elderly person dies at a geriatric center, the establishment’s nursing staff, led by a doctor, declares their death and fills out a death certificate.”

No one checks whether the patient died of coronavirus or if the virus complicated their preexisting conditions. Also, not everyone who dies at a hospital is tested for coronavirus. Even in this case, we don’t always know whether coronavirus caused the patient’s condition to worsen.”