Prof. Lass: “Even before vaccine and lockdown, mortality normal”
Former Health Ministry Director Professor Yoram Lass attacked government lockdown policy. Continue reading “Prof. Lass: “Even before vaccine and lockdown, mortality normal””
Prof. Yoram Lass: ‘Either there’s no plague, or they tested the wrong population’
Former Health Ministry Director Professor Yoram Lass today responded to remarks by Health Minister Yuli Edelstein regarding COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, telling Arutz Sheva:
“There is no vaccine approval. There is emergency vaccine approval. In an emergency vaccine, it is mandatory to go straight to the at-risk population.”
Professor Lass continued: “Vaccinate nursing homes in the U.S. and the elderly, and prove that there is a decrease in mortality and serious morbidity. In practice, they tested only 1,500 aged 75+ people out of 44,000 experimented on.
“There is no convincing evidence that mortality has dropped for the simple reason that no one died from COVID-19 in Pfizer’s entire sample. Not even in the placebo group that actually got nothing.”
“In the ‘terrible’ raging plague, the placebo group should have had many people dead from COVID-19 (not from a heart attack…)”
Professor Lass concluded: “As mentioned, the placebo group had zero COVID-19 deaths. So either there is no plague, or they tested the wrong population.”
Regarding Moderna’s vaccine, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting Presentation document claims a 66% reduction in transmissions based on 52 people, that is, “14 in the vaccine group and 38 in the placebo group”.
The Health Minister was addressing the Knesset Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee, to present Committee Members with an overview of the government COVID-19 vaccination program, due to commence next week.
He said: “I am absolutely confident in the safety of the vaccines. They have been tested in every possible way…. I am completely satisfied that things are proceeding exactly as they should.”
The testimony comes amid government concerns over polls showing up to 75% of Israelis unwilling to chance the new COVID-19 vaccine.
Source: Arutz Sheva
The data on the increase in the number of infected do not bother Prof. Yoram Lass: “This is called herd immunity”. Emphasized: “Everyone is infected, and that is good”
The Ministry of Health updated this morning (Thursday) that almost 9000 verified corona virus infections were detected in one day. Do the new data disprove all of Prof. Yoram Les’ claims since the outbreak of the corona plague – or vice versa? Professor Yoram Les explained to the listener why the increase in the number of infected is part of a process of herd immunity:
“There is an increase in infection, and a decrease in mortality.”
The second closure across the country continues, and the anger is only growing: “The closure is killing” • Explained: “This is a death blow to the economy, society and education”
One listener wondered how many Israelis had already been infected with the corona virus but without symptoms • Prof. Lass: “A significant part of the Israeli population is infected with the corona”
Source: 103FM – MAARIV (tramslated)
Prof. Yoram Lass: “Destroying the country. 7000 new patients? They are not sick”
One listener told about an article that deals with the reliability of corona tests.
Professor Yoram Lass commented on his remarks, expressing his opinion on the data: “The test is too sensitive and does not differentiate at all between a live virus that is dangerous, and particles that are not dangerous.”
One listener referred to the data regarding the corona plague, and wondered how one can know with certainty that the plague is not a large-scale disaster. Can the situation only get worse?
Professor Yoram Lass responded to the listener’s question and explained what is behind the opinions he has been voicing since the outbreak of the plague in China.
“There was no epidemic in China – one million Chinese die every month, and 4,500 Chinese have died from the corona to date.”
Source: 103FM – MAARIV
Note:
Former Health Ministry Director Prof. Yoram Lass today apologized to Jewish-American attorney Prof. Alan Dershowitz, for accusing him two weeks ago of “raping a girl.”
At the beginning of his program on 103FM radio, Prof. Lass said, “I’d like to apologize to Prof. Dershowitz for my statements regarding him on my program and to retract any allegations I made against him.
“The words were based on my mistake. I am very sorry, I am really very sorry, if he was caused distress,” Prof. Lass added.
Prof. Lass’ apology came after about a week ago, Dershowitz filed a huge defamation lawsuit against Lass and Radio 103FM for a total of about $1 million.
Dershowitz’s lawsuit charges that “the defendants (Professor Lass, together with the CEO, Chief Producer, and Program Editor of the radio station) not only disseminated baseless lies, and not only did they not take any appropriate measures to confirm their veracity prior to or pursuant to the broadcast, they even attempted to lend credibility to their slander (the fabricated accusation that Dershowitz raped young girls together with Jeffrey Epstein) by falsely claiming that Professor Dershowitz admitted these acts and reinforced these clearly worded and viciously libellous claims through repetition to add emphasis.”
The lawsuit states that “Professor Lass’ remarks are libel of the highest order, because they disparage and humiliate Dershowitz and turn him into a subject of hate, ridicule, and contempt.”
Last Thursday, during a conversation with a caller, Lass accused Dershowitz of raping underage girls, tying the veteran jurist to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Dershowitz had served as Epstein’s attorney, but has vigorously denied allegations he was either a close friend of Epstein, or that he was ever visited any of Epstein’s residences while young women were present, calling allegations he had relations with young women trafficked by Epstein slanderous and untrue.
Pof. Yoram Lass on Radio 103 FM: “The Prime Minister and his ministers are blind”
As every Thursday at 12:00 noon, Prof. Yoram Lass explained his his point of view regard COVID-19 to the audience at 103 FM Maariv Israel.
This time Prof. Lass commented with pain on the expectation of another closure coming to the State of Israel:
“The government has taken great steps this week towards a second closure that will bring us the destruction of the ‘Second Temple’. We already saw the destruction of the ‘First Temple’ in April. The Prime Minister and his ministers are intentionally blind and they also have very clear interests. We will pay a terrible price for all this during the holidays.”
“Most people do not get infected with anything”
One listener who went on the air to ask Prof. Yoram Lass about the ‘lucky’ individuals who do not get the corona virus or other diseases like the flu.
Prof. Lass paid close attention to what the listener said and reply:
“Many people do not know that there are many more common corona viruses that come in the winter and cause only mild illnesses, but meantime the body becomes naturally immune to corona types. The vast majority of people have nothing.”
Prof. Yoram Lass in a stern call to the Prime Minister to get imprisoned in light of his legal affairs:
“He uses his power as Prime Minister to undermine the foundations of the Israeli legal system”
At the beginning of the second hour, Prof. Les addressed the legal issues in which the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is involved:
“He uses his power as Prime Minister to undermine the foundations of the Israeli legal system. Netanyahu and his son pose a direct threat to democracy in the State of Israel. Netanyahu’s law is the law of every other defendant, he must be imprisoned immediately.”
“Did the top officials of the Corona virus enter isolation by chance during this week?”
One listener who went on the air, chose to express his opinion on how Israel deal with the corona virus and brought up a strange question: “How could you suddenly decide on a closure and meantime Prof. Gamzu and other MK’s go into isolation? How does everything happen all of a sudden?”
Prof. Lasss replied: “The facts you mention are of course true, but I can’t agree with the statement instantly.”
[note: As ministers prepare to discuss possible closure, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein says hospitals congested; Liberman, 2 Yisrael Beytenu MKs quarantined after settler leader ‘tests positive’]
Header: In this September 8, 2020, photo, an Israeli border policeman sets up a barrier as ultra-Orthodox Jews wearing face masks during the coronavirus pandemic wait to cross the street during an overnight curfew in Beit Shemesh (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit,
Original: [translated] 103 FM Maariv Israel
Israel – First publication: Health Ministry sued in Freedom of Information Act COVID-19 request
Hundreds of physicians, journalists [*1], and citizens have engaged an attorney to submit an official Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Health Ministry [*2] regarding various issues related to the COVID-19 coronavirus. This, after queries [*3] by journalists representing the entire spectrum of Israeli media outlets consistently revealed a pattern of Health Ministry avoidance of certain issues.
The law firm of Waldman-David-Zuchowitzky-Fraidin today addressed Health Ministry’s FOIA Officer Attorney Shulamit Blank, saying: “On behalf of my clients, many dozens of medical, scientific, academic, media, and ordinary citizens, I am hereby honored to address to you the matter in question, as follows:”
“From the end of 2019, the world has been dealing with a disease caused by a novel virus from the corona family, known as SARS CoV-2.”
“Although there is no argument that the virus exists, is contagious, and can cause severe morbidity and mortality, there are serious disagreements about the severity and extent of morbidity and mortality caused by the virus, the link between measures taken and prevention of infection and morbidity, and the degree of health burden.”
“As you probably know, every decision, step, and policy affects the lives, health, and future of millions of Israelis and therefore reliable information and true data are critical.”
The request is signed by Professor Eitan Fridman of Sheba Hospital, Professor Eyal Shahar (Arizona), Professor Udi Kimron of Tel-Aviv University, Professor Zvi Bentoich of Ben Gurion University, Professor Doron Lancet of the Weitziman Institute, Tel Aviv University Microbiology Professor Udi Kimron, and Dr. Aviv Segev at Shalvata Hospital.
The letter was also signed by Health Communication Lecturer at IDC Herzliya International School Dr. Yaffa Shir Raz, Channel 13 News reporter Alon ben David, Meytal Ysoor (Israel Hayom), Talya Levin (Ma’ariv) and others.
The request says: “My clients, a group of medical, science, academia, media, and ordinary citizens, is contacting you for answers and data to the following questions:”
A. Mortality questions:
1. How many of the deceased were defined based on a positive laboratory test?
2. How many of the deceased died from an accident or an obvious external cause, and were also virus carriers regardless of the disease due to which they died or were resuscitated?
3. How many of the deceased had a significant background illness (heart disease, cancer, advanced Alzheimer’s, etc.)? We request to receive the answer by age segmentation.
4. In how many of the deceased was the background disease (the underlying disease) the leading cause of death? We request the answer by age segmentation.
5. We would like to receive an Excel file of the deceased, with information clarifying which of them came from institutions: a. From nursing homes; b. Helping institutions; c. Rehabilitation institutions; d. Palliative institutions.
6. Which of them died within the institution itself?
7. How many of the deceased who were defined as deceased from coronavirus were not hospitalized at the time of death, and were defined as deceased originally due to receiving a positive lab response at some point in time in the past?
8. Of all the haredi/Arab carriers, what is the mortality rate in each sector? And how do they equate to percentages of general mortality among all carriers?
B. Questions about critically ill and respiratory patients:
1. Since July, how many of the most difficult patients have been defined as such based on the parameter of oxygen saturation lower than 93%?
2. How many went to hospitals due to illness/other medical condition (e.g. heart attack) and were transferred to coronavirus wards due to a positive test result?
3. Among the severe patients, how many of them have undergone intubation, and how many are assisted by oxygen support or by means of other light breathing aids?
C. Questions about the PCR tests:
1. How many of the positive tests reported so far reflect repeat tests for those people?
2. Of all the people who performed two tests in a row (ie. – within 24 hours), in how many tests were the two results different?
3. Is there a uniform standard for setting a viral threshold for a positive coronavirus test, and if so, what is it?
4. How many of the tests are borderline and is a borderline test considered positive?
5. Someone whose test was defined as borderline – what was the diagnosis?
6. In the context of the epidemiological investigations, people defined as borderline or asymptomatic – what was the percentage of people they infected?
7. What is the percentage of positive tests among medical staff in the various hospitals?
8. What is the percentage of people who have had a test for symptoms? How many of them received a negative answer?
9. What are the details of the contract agreement with My Heritage Corporation? If other private laboratories were blocked from entering the field of coronavirus testing, why?
10. How much money will the State of Israel pay My Heritage?
D. Questions about the chain of infection and connection to the disease:
11. In cases where the location of the infection is known (based on epidemiological investigation), is there a connection between the location of the infection (house, mall, plane, etc.) and the intensity of the disease in the infected?
12. Is there a difference in morbidity between people infected by asymptomatic carriers and people infected by patients with clinical symptoms (eg. hospitalized)?
13. Is there a relationship between the age of the person infected and the intensity of the illness caused by the person infected? And in particular, from among adults (over the age of 18) who were moderate ill, severely ill, or who have died, how many of them have been infected by children (in the following segmentation – up to the age of 10, up to the age of 18)?
E: Questions about the burden on the health system:
1. What is the percentage of occupancy in the inpatient wards + coronavirus wards + intensive care units this year, compared to internal + intensive care wards in the previous two years?
2. What is the number on ventilators in the coronavirus wards and intensive care units in each of the months from March to August this year compared to the corresponding months in the previous two years? And compared to all intensive care patients in the previous two years?
3. What is the number of malaria referrals in each of the months from March-August this year compared to the corresponding months in the previous two years?
4. How many ventilator (intubation) patients was the health system prepared to treat in August 2020, as opposed to its readiness in March 2020, and how many were on assisted breathing?
“In view of the urgency of the matter, we will be grateful for a response as soon as possible,” says the request, continuing: “It will be recalled that under section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act, it is the duty of the public authority to consider the public interest in disclosing the information requested for reasons of safeguarding public health – which is even more true in our case.
“My clients undertake to pay the application fee and the handling and production fee up to the amount of NIS 151. As is well known, in the case of a demand for payment in a higher amount, the consent of my client is required for its execution.
“We will be grateful, therefore, for your answer in advance, and in any case no later than the statutorily imposed deadline,” concludes the Freedom of Information Act request to the Health Ministry.
Source: Mordechai Sones – Arutz Sheva
One comment: “Most of us knew from the start that this SCAMDEMIC wasn’t real. Finally, the time has come to take “the experts” to task in detail for the drastic measures they took. Following this, a public trial of world leaders will take place (as following WW2) and justice will prevail. Seriously? These people thought [that] they could remove democracy due the process and lock healthy people in their houses and that they would face no consequences for that?”
Notes:
*1. Journalist ‘stands behind’ removed COVID-19 article
Dr. Yaffa Shir Raz: ‘According to the Health Ministry’s method, no person with COVID-19 is ever permitted to recover from his illness.’
Health Communication Lecturer at IDC Herzliya International School Dr. Yaffa Shir Raz wrote in a Facebook post that she “stands behind” her article that was removed from the Ynet website about Health Ministry policy vis a vis COVID-19 as cause of death.
The article, entitled Has the coronavirus death toll in the country been inflated?, said: “After evidence in the U.S. and the UK indicates that not in everyone who was registered as having died of coronavirus was it indeed the cause of death, a Ynet investigation found that also in Israel the criteria for registering a person as ‘deceased from coronavirus’ does not take into account the time elapsed from illness to death.”
Shir Raz wrote: “I stand behind every word in my article that was removed this morning from the Ynet website.
“This revelation has caused a scandal in the UK: after it was revealed that the death reports included people who had tested positive for the virus months before they died of any other cause at all. Health Secretary Matt Hancock ordered an urgent examination of the death count from the virus.
“An examination of Health Ministry documents shows that in Israel, too, there is no reference to the gaps between the positive test time and the date of death, and anyone who tests positive for the virus and dies later is classified as ‘died of coronavirus’, even if more than 100 days have passed.
“Worse, in the UK and U.S., where authorities have been severely criticized for their classification of deaths policy, at least guidelines from health ministries are publicly available. In Israel, the Health Ministry does not publish the guidelines, or data on the deceased that could shed light on the causes of death. My request to receive the information yesterday was completely ignored.
“In the words of Prof. Carl Heneghan, Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, only paraphrasing to fit Israel: ‘According to the Health Ministry’s method, no person with COVID-19 is ever permitted to recover from his illness’.”
Source: Mordechai Sones – Arutz Sheva
*2. Health Ministry: ‘3,074 test coronavirus positive in one day’ – Coronavirus coordinator Prof. Ronni Gamzu recommends expanding list of cities defined ‘red’.
The Constitution Committee canceled the special discussion on the traffic light plan planned for today, because Gamzu, the plan’s initiator, did not confirm his attendance.
Committee Chairman MK Yaakov Asher said in response that “Gamzu should come to the committee, present the plan, and answer questions of Knesset Members.”
A new study commissioned by Revolver News concludes that COVID-19 lockdowns are ten times more deadly than the actual COVID-19 virus in terms of years of life lost by American citizens.
Drawing upon existing economic studies on the health effects of unemployment to calculate an estimate of how many years of life will have been lost due to the lockdowns in the United States, and weighing this against an estimate of how many years of life will have been saved by the lockdowns, the results suggest that the lockdowns will end up costing Americans over 10 times as many years of life as they will save from the virus itself.
A recent report by the New York Times entitled Your Coronavirus Test Is Positive. Maybe It Shouldn’t Be stated that “the usual diagnostic tests may simply be too sensitive and too slow to contain the spread of the virus.”
Source: Mordechai Sones – Arutz Sheva
*3. Arutz Sheva clarifies Health Ministry COVID-19 policy
Health Ministry: “Any COVID-19 positive patient who has died during his hospitalization will likely be reported as COVID-19 death.”
The Health Ministry responded to a query by Arutz Sheva to clarify information about COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, tests administered in Israel, and their methodology, accuracy, and availability.
Arutz Sheva’s query quoted White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Deborah Birx, who said that while some countries report coronavirus fatality numbers differently, in the United States one is counted as a victim of the pandemic if he dies while testing positive for the virus, even if something else caused his death. Likewise, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike was quoted, who stated in a press conference that even if the cause of death is clearly something else, as long as one tests positive for COVID-19 when he dies, it does not matter how many other conditions were present, this is the cause of death:
Arutz Sheva sought to determine into which set of countries does Israel fall. How precisely do doctors record cause of death, has the procedure been uniform from the beginning of the crisis, and if Israel follows the American model, the Ministry was asked to expand on the medical and legal aspects of such classification.
The query also sought to determine which COVID-19 tests are being administered in Israel, recalling that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged it was conflating results of two different types of coronavirus tests, distorting several important metrics and providing citizens and policymakers with an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic.
Arutz Sheva asked whether the test or tests used in Israel distinguish between a dead or live virus, and if not, why all of them are called “active cases”, and, whether recommendations to policymakers take these distinctions into account.
The Health Ministry was asked to comment on false positive fiascoes reported in other countries, and to explain the Health Ministry’s method for factoring in possible inaccuracies.
Regarding mitigation restrictions, the Health Ministry was asked to comment on statements by the World Health Organization’s Maria Van Kerkhove: “From the data we have, it still seems to be rare that an asymptomatic person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual. We have a number of reports from countries who are doing very detailed contact tracing. They’re following asymptomatic cases, they’re following contacts and they’re not finding secondary transmission onward. It is very rare — and much of that is not published in the literature. We are constantly looking at this data and we’re trying to get more information from countries to truly answer this question. It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually transmits onward.” The Health Ministry was asked how Israel’s mitigation policy flows from the assumption that asymptomatic spread is “rare”.
Finally, Arutz Sheva asked about Health Ministry policy that, according to physicians consulted by Arutz Sheva for the purpose of the query, mandates refraining from treating cases early on, waiting until they are short of breath and need to be hospitalized and perhaps need to go straight to the intensive care unit. This, despite the fact that there are “several therapies that are available to outpatients that have been shown to be effective, such as hydroxychloroquine and budesonide inhalations. These therapies have had dramatic results and are reliably safe according to many reputable practitioners. Why aren’t outpatient cases being treated, why are only hospitalized cases being treated?”
Health Ministry Spokesman Eyal Basson answered: “In regard to your first question, the cause of death for anyone is Israel is determined by the practitioner in charge according to the WHO guidelines.”
“Therefore any COVID-19 positive patient who has died during his hospitalization will likely be reported as COVID-19 death.”
“Furthermore, we instructed our hospital administrators to report the death of COVID-19 patient who has recovered virologically but not clinically if the practitioner persevere that the death is related to late COVID-19 complications.”
Regarding the last question regarding therapies shown to be effective such as hydroxychloroquine and budesonide inhalations, the Health Ministry answered: “The Israeli Health Ministry does not dictate any policy regarding medical treatment neither for outpatients in the community nor for patients admitted to hospitals.”
“Each and every medical doctor who is treating patients has a professional autonomy that may be guided by his supervisors or organization but until now the Ministry kept its role as a regulator and did not interfere in any clinical issues regarding individual treatments.”
“The paramount goal of the medical care and follow up for the outpatient is to identify as soon as possible symptoms and signs that should indicate the need to refer for a comprehensive medical examination in the emergency department and consider hospital admission.”
Dr. David Matar, MD, responded to the Health Ministry’s answer, telling Arutz Sheva: “Hydroxychloroquine is completely safe, and 54 studies of varying quality show its efficacy in prophylaxis and therapy of early disease. What needs to be done to break this epidemic is mass distribution of doses of hydroxychloroquine and zinc to as many as possible as prophylaxis to protect vulnerable people and interrupt the chain of transmission.”
Matar continued: “Any medical doctor can write a private prescription for hydroxychloroquine and zinc; both are not expensive. However, the Health Ministry does not permit subsidized prescriptions for these drugs as treatment for COVID-19 – only for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or malaria prophylaxis.”
“The situation here is better than in the United States, where in some anti-Trump areas, pharmacies will not honor even private prescriptions. The FDA at one point permitted hydroxychloroquine off-label, then revoked it due to political pressure and some bad (fake) studies.”
Former Health Ministry Director Yoram Lass responded to the Health Ministry and told Arutz Sheva: “Regarding he coronavirus death toll: The British Health Minister admits that the Government’s publications on those ‘dead from coronavirus’ were completely incorrect.”
“And us? The Health Minister in the Israeli government continues to disseminate ‘mortality due to coronavirus’ data, which is completely erroneous. There is no ‘excess mortality’ in Israel. No plague. As a rule, the ‘dead because of coronavirus’ did not die from coronavirus.”
Source: Mordechai Sones – Arutz Sheva
103FM Israel – listener: “For the winter, the population will be quite immune to the new corona virus?”
One 103FM Israel listener referred to the coming winter, and to the fear of the corona spreading:
“Since they checked about a million people and found that a lot of them are carrying the virus, then in my opinion, towards the winter the population will be quite immune to the corona.”
Prof. Yoram Lass has reinforced the listener’s opinion, saying:
“They found that most of the people inside the Israeli population who were exposed to the [old] corona viruses were immunized against the new virus.”
Also, one listener attacked those who opposed the demonstrations in front of the prime minister’s residence:
“There is no more appropriate time for demonstrations than now, when our country is in the situation it is in. We are fighting for the home, the state, its form, its elected representatives and its future.”
“Another argument that people should not be afraid to come to demonstrations because of the corona virus.”
Prof. Lass replied: “There is nothing more to fear from the corona than from other viruses we are familiar with.”
Source: 103FM
‘Coronavirus disease isn’t dangerous to children at all’
Today, the former Health Ministry Director Professor Yoram Lass has opened his program on 103FM with reference to the opening school year under the specter of coronavirus fears.
Lass said: “The school year opened this week with ‘capsules’ and masks and Zoom and isolation. And all this while we know with complete confidence that coronavirus disease isn’t dangerous to children at all; fact: no children are hospitalized.”
“In contrast, influenza, which no one cares about, is known to be far more dangerous to children than coronavirus and it doesn’t interest anyone, but as usual in today’s situation, the facts don’t matter. Anxiety grows and prevents any logical consideration,” Lass added.
Lass’ remarks come the same day that hundreds of physicians, journalists, and citizens submitted an official Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Health Ministry regarding various issues related to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
This, after queries by journalists representing the entire spectrum of Israeli media outlets consistently revealed a pattern of Health Ministry avoidance of certain issues.
A review of evidence from around the world has found that no child is known to have passed COVID-19 on to an adult, reported Sky News.
The review into pediatric coronavirus studies found it is likely children “do not play a significant role” in transmitting the coronavirus and are significantly less likely to become infected than adults.
It also found there has not been a single case of a child under 10 transmitting COVID-19, even through contact tracing carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Collated by pediatric blog Don’t Forget The Bubbles, in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), researchers looked at 78 studies from around the world, with most from China where the disease originated.
The findings came as the Swiss government said grandparents were now allowed to hug their grandchildren because they concluded that “young children don’t transmit the virus”.
Source: Mordechai Sones – Arutz Sheva
Prof. Udi Qimron: ‘History will judge the hysteria’
Prof. Udi Qimron will soon head the Department of Microbiology and Clinical Immunology at Tel Aviv University.
In an interview with Yediot Ahronot, Qimron shed further light on the coronavirus.
“There is a very great interest for anyone who has supported the draconian measures taken around the world to say that Sweden’s policy has failed. Because if it succeeded, and trillions went down the drain for no reason, someone will have to answer for it.”
“That is why all over the world they prefer to claim that [Sweden] was wrong.
But in the end, the truth came to the surface. In a world where decision makers, their advisers and the media were able to admit their mistake and the initial panic that gripped them, we would have long since returned to routine.
The ongoing destruction due to the inability to admit this mistake, despite the epidemic’s small mortality numbers, is outrageous. History will judge the hysteria.”
“If we had not been told that there was an epidemic in the country, you would not have known there was such an epidemic and you would not have done anything about it,” he said emphatically.
“The fact that this issue runs all day in the media inflates it beyond its natural dimensions. If black death had raged here, as in the 14th century, you would not have had to follow the situation in the news, the bodies would have piled up in the streets. We were not and we are not in this situation today.”
Prof. Qimron noted that the total number of coronavirus deaths does not exceed 0.1% of the total population in any country, and the death rate from coronavirus is less than 0.01% of the total world population, meaning that 99.99% of the world’s population so far has survived the epidemic and the virus is negligibly lethal.
He said smart behavior would be the opposite of what we do today; populations not at risk should become infected and create chains of immunity, which will protect the sick and the elderly. We are currently working for sweeping social distancing, which prevents such differential immunity, he said.
He went on to explain that infection of children is a welcome thing, because it protects at-risk populations. “For the same reason, I would open up the whole education system, because the vast majority is made up of people who are not at risk. Of course a solution needs to be found for teachers suffering from diabetes or other background diseases, but I see no reason to prevent activities that encourage the economy. Not only because it allows parents to go to work, but also because it lowers mortality in the long run. I would also ask children and young people to take off their masks. Of course, it is impossible to force a child to take off a mask, but proper information will do the job.”
“At the same time, I would call on at-risk populations, our parents and people with background illnesses, to avoid social gatherings in the coming months until we reach the appropriate immune depth. It is possible and desirable to recommend at-risk populations to wear masks. I would also open the skies and abolish the isolation obligation for those returning from abroad. With the situation of carriers abroad compared to within Israel, there is no reason to isolate tourists, just as you and I are not isolated even though we have an even higher probability than that of a random tourist from abroad to be a carrier. These are things that got into our minds four months ago and we do not understand that their time has passed,” he added.
Source: Arutz Sheva
Notes:
Udi Qimron is a Full Professor in the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. His lab studies the adaptive immune system of bacteria: the CRISPR-Cas. This fascinating system specifically adapts to defend prokaryotes against newly encountered phages by launching a specific RNA-guided attack against their nucleic acids. He also studies novel phage interactions with their bacterial hosts, and particularly interactions with defense systems such as CRISPR-Cas. These basic studies are translated to projects aiming at reversing antibiotic resistance and consequently countering the threat from antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Qimron is a recipient of the Bergmann Award for outstanding research from the US-Israel Binational Fund, and of a Starter and a Consolidator European Research Council grants.
Qimron can be reached at: ehudq@post.tau.ac.il
- for original download:
“Countering the Second Wave with Facts, not Misconceptions” Haaretz
Professor Yoram Lass to Arutz Sheva: ‘Pandemic psychosis’
Arutz Sheva spoke to Former Health Ministry Director Professor Yoram Lass, who has been outspoken and unembarrassed in his criticism of Health Ministry COVID-19 policy.
Professor Lass does not suggest that minor errors have been made in determining Israeli mitigation policy, rather he says the Health Ministry is disseminating completely erroneous data; there is no “excess mortality” in Israel, no plague, and, as a rule, the so-called “dead because of coronavirus” did not die from coronavirus.
Everyone was concerned during the opening days and weeks of this crisis, after hearing projections by experts that predicted millions of deaths, and seeing images from China, with people falling on the ground in mid-stride and dying in the streets.
At one point however, some experts began to be skeptical. Did you personally experience such a shift, and if so, when, and what was the cause?
“Even in the early days of the coronavirus epidemic back in January 2020, I was looking at the data – not at the pictures – at the data from China. I knew that on a monthly basis – every month – one million Chinese approximately died every month. And the numbers coming out of the coronavirus epidemic were so small.”
“Up to this point – and I believe the data – up to this point, less than five thousand Chinese people died from the coronavirus. Which is negligible; there is no plague. There is not even an ‘event’ in China.”
“The same in Japan, where we have one-hundred-twenty-million people, and about one thousand people ‘dying from coronavirus’, and they did not die from coronavirus; they died from old age, cancer, heart attack, and so on.”
“So, from the early days I knew there is no epidemic in eastern Asia. There is no epidemic in the Middle East. There is an epidemic event in western Europe and in the United States, which is comparable to a very severe influenza epidemic, that’s all. So the world destruction is not justified.”
People find it hard to believe that the entire government apparatus of experts and dedicated civil servants could get it so wrong with something so big. Is there a way to explain this?
“What we have is a pandemic psychosis. And the pandemic psychoses virus are the new means of communication, namely, the social networks which never existed before in previous viral pandemics; that’s the answer.”
“People and governments are out of their minds. They see horror pictures. And the horror picture – which is true for a certain moment, a certain date, a certain location, but has nothing to do with the real picture – they look at these pictures and immediately it becomes a policy.”
“So this is my answer: People, including governments, are out of their minds. And look at the situation in Sweden, who remained calm, rational, and look at the situation in Belgium, where they had this severe lockdown. Twice as many dead people in Belgium, if you compare Belgium to Sweden – twice as many – with severe lockdown.”
In May, Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared on a video of the Coronavirus Global Response International Pledging Event, calling for quote, “better diagnostics, treatments, and a safe and effective vaccine”. He joined a long list of world leaders reading an identical script.
Just this week, the Health Ministry admitted that cause of death for anyone in Israel is determined by the practitioner in charge according to World Health Organization guidelines. Therefore, any COVID-19-positive patient who died during hospitalization will likely be reported as COVID-19 death. Are Israeli policymakers independent?
“Israeli policymakers follow the directions of the World Health Organization, which are absolutely wrong.”
“According to WHO, if people die from cancer, from old age, from coronary heart disease, even from a road accident – if incidentally you have a positive coronavirus test, policymakers are obliged, according to the WHO, to write down ‘coronavirus’ as the cause of death, which is insane, and which is part of the insanity and the wrong numbers which are being currently published by governments around the world.”
Source: Mordechai Sones – Aruz Sheva
Former Director of Health Ministry, Professor Yoram Lass: “There’s no epidemic in Israel”
Prof. Yoram Lass stated Thursday on radio 103FM that there was no epidemic in Israel,
Lass was asked how he could tell this was the case, to which he answered, “The Central Bureau of Statistics publishes monthly data on the number of deaths in Israel and there have been 3,700 a month.”
“Every child understands that for it to be a pandemic, it requires much higher numbers. That’s what we’re seeing in Europe, the United States, but not in Israel, the PA, or Middle East as a whole,” he said.
“The number of virus victims in Israel has been absolutely stable, and in June, the number [of deaths], that number, was even down a bit as compared to previous years. We don’t have a plague here at the moment,” claimed Lass.
In another section of the radio program, Professor Lass praised the actions of Projector of the battle against COVID-19 in Israel, Prof. Roni Gamzu.
“This week, with the help of Prof. Gamzu, we can see a return to normal. Gamzu isn’t taking advice from all the crazy experts that, going on directions from Prime Minister Netanyahu, have done us more harm than good. Let’s wish him success in this endeavor and may he follow the path of logic.”
Source: Arutz Sheva
«C’est de l’hystérie, on ne regarde pas les faits» selon le professeur Yoram Lass
Journaliste : Sommes-nous dans une folie ? En faisons-nous trop ?
Pr Yoram Lass : Ce que je pense, c’est que le gouvernement ne comprend pas du tout ce qui se passe. L’épidémie est terminée, le virus n’a plus de force, il est mort. Les analyses que nous voyons, les tests, plus on en fait, plus on fait d’examens, plus on trouve de contaminés. C’est très très simple. On en a fait 4000 on en trouve 200, aujourd’hui on en fait 20.000 c’est 5 fois plus alors au lieu d’en trouver 200 on en trouve 1000.
Le nombre de testés, de tests, détermine le nombre de contaminés, on les appelle malades, je ne sais pas pourquoi, et on dit que la situation est grave… Il y a juste un petit problème, il n’y a pas en Israël de malades, il n’y a pas de mort, au gouvernement il y a plus de ministres que de personnes sous respirateur. Il y a 24 personnes sous respirateur, lors du dernier hiver, il y a eu des milliers de malades graves et en moyenne en Israël de complication de la grippe meurent 1000 personnes.
Pourquoi vous ne m’avez pas invité l’hiver dernier, à être interviewé, pourquoi ? On n’a pas le droit de mourir du coronavirus mais on a le droit de mourir de la grippe, ou d’une crise cardiaque, et d’ailleurs on abandonne ces malades là aujourd’hui, on ne comprend pas ce qui se passe. Et il y a une chose qu’ils ne comprennent pas, c’est que le test que l’on appelle PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction, réaction en chaines de polyméréases, et bien ce test ne distingue pas les virus morts des virus vivants. Dans les 2 cas, le test est positif même si le virus est mort. Parce que la contagion n’est pas de maintenant, la contagion a eu lieu il y a 1 mois et l’on trouve maintenant des gens qui ont été contaminés il y a un mois et on dit qu’ils sont positifs, on dit qu’ils sont malades mais ils sont sains, ils sont tous sains ! C’est ça la situation.
C’est le point de vue médical qui pousse pour qu’on prenne des mesures encore plus fortes et c’est le ministère de l’économie qui ne veut pas. Pourquoi des médecins disent qu’il faut reconfiner ? Pourquoi cette vision au ministère de la Santé ?
L’hystérie, simplement, c’est de l’hystérie, on ne regarde pas les faits. Il y a plus de gens qui vont mourir du chômage que du coronavirus. Le chômage ça c’est de la mortalité, ceux qui meurent du chômage ce sont des gens jeunes qui nourrissent des familles mais ça on ne le comprend pas malheureusement parce qu’il y a une panique et une hystérie et un manque de compréhension de ce qui se passe vraiment aujourd’hui. En Europe aussi. Ca fait 3 semaines que l’épidémie est terminée, il n’y a pas eu de seconde vague, IL N’Y A PAS EU DE SECONDE VAGUE, la mortalité… oui il y a des morts mais on est revenu à un niveau normal de mortalité. C’est pareil chez nous, mais chez nous ils sont devenus fous.
Faudrait-il arrêter de tester ?
Les tests sont importants pour l’information, on n’a pas besoin de faire peur au public avec des chiffres qui sont faux, le ministère de la santé appelle tous les positifs, vous le savez ! ils disent qu’ils sont malades du coronavirus, la personne est en pleine forme !! on les appelle MALADES du coronavirus, et après quand ils deviennent négatifs, ils disent qu’ils sont rétablis, il n’a pas été malade, il n’y a pas de quoi se rétablir, il ne faut pas rendre le public fou avec des mots qui font peur et qui ne transparaissent pas ou qui ne reflètent pas la réalité.
L’EPIDEMIE EST TERMINEE.
Comme en hiver nous avons des épidémies de grippe, des milliers de morts et l’épidémie s’est terminée au printemps, le printemps arrive et l’épidémie se termine. C’est la même chose qui est arrivée maintenant.
Source : Covidinfos.net
‘I’m apprehensive over COVID vaccine because gov’ts are hysterical’
Former Health Ministry Director Prof. Yoram Lass, who of late has caught public attention for his opposition to hysteria over the coronavirus, addressed on his radio show on 103FM what he perceives to be the danger inherent in the worldwide race to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
One listener asked Prof. Lass:
“On the basis of what data is public told with certainty that there will be a vaccine by 2021? What will happen if in 2021 there is no vaccine? Will they stop the lockdowns and Shabak tracking?”
Lass responded that “This vaccine is problematic. I am a great believer in the classic vaccines. There is nothing that improved our life expectancy more than the classic vaccines that we know – polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, etc.”
“Regarding the new vaccine I am apprehensive because governments are hysterical. And a hysterical government can cut corners and approve a vaccine that is not one hundred percent safe.”
Source: Arutz Sheva
Prof. Yoram Lass, who says COVID-19 response unjustified, launches radio show
Prof. Yoram Lass, former director of the Ministry of Health and one of the most prominent voices in the country saying that the lethality of the coronavirus is being exaggerated, began today to present a radio program in which he talks to listeners on 103FM.
At the beginning of the program, Prof. Lass said,
“The big question is whether the destruction that has befallen us is justified, whether this epidemic is really so dangerous. My simple answer, and that of many learned people in Israel and around the world, as is known, is no. While the virus is serious and dangerous, in practice, very few people are affected in proportion to the size of the population, and there are equally serious medical problems and epidemics that were no less severe.”
Lass called on listeners to “put fear and panic aside,” and said that “he who is afraid and is brainwashed is unable to see the facts.”
After the opening, Lass began talking to listeners. One of them erupted at Professor Lass, saying, “You are considered the most dangerous person in the country. All you leftists are champions in one thing – in deceiving the public.”
Prof. Lass replied, “Do you remember the prime minister who told you about the Middle Ages? Do you remember that in the Middle Ages a third of the population was decimated?”
Source: Arutz Sheva
Link:
Contact Prof. Yoram Lass at 103 FM
‘There’s no second wave because there was no first wave’
Sheba Tel-Hashomer Hospital Infectious Diseases Unit head Professor Galia Rahav and former Health Ministry Director Professor Yoram Lass debated about coronavirus as part of the Maariv conference.
Prof. Lass argued, “We’re talking only about data and not personal experiences. The data say that there was no first wave in Israel. The word epidemic cannot be used when there’s no excess mortality. In Europe, excess mortality was less than the 2018 influenza excess mortality. The European epidemic ended 3 weeks ago, no second wave of mortality. I’m not avoiding to debate about the U.S., but it’s the country with the worst public health system in the world. And back to Israel, there’s certainly no second wave. An honest person can’t talk about an epidemic when mortality goes down.”
Rahav responded, “I ask Professor Lass to withhold such sentences from people who are dying to hear them, because it’s dangerous and irresponsible. In terms of numbers, just looking at the mortality rate isn’t correct. I work in a hospital where 50% of those recovered still have to deal with after-effects. It’s not that they just went home healthy; they’re in a long rehabilitation. I see so many people in the community who walk around with coronavirus and they have so many bad medical symptoms that they can’t handle it anymore. The health system is very problematic. The second wave is worse than the first. It’s not right to count mortality. Cases of new serious patients need to be counted.”
Prof. Lass replied, “A million people are sitting at home; people can’t marry so as to give Sheba Hospital medical experiences. Ichilov Hospital joined me; a pity they didn’t join me three months ago. This means destruction of the State of Israel. In the winter there will be thousands of seriously ill patients. A thousand people will die, we have… never destroyed the State of Israel in the winter. In Europe, there’s ten percent more flu epidemic.”
Prof. Lass continued: “There’s an illusion in the world that says a government can stop a virus. The virus is everywhere and no government can stop it. In winter, due to influenza viruses, between 5-10 percent of the population are infected. In tests done until now: 5 percent of the tests are positive. In my estimation, a million Israelis are positive.”
Source: Arutz Sheva Staff
Former Health Min. Director: “Don’t let them brainwash you about coronavirus”
Prof. Yoram Lass, the former director general of the Ministry of Health, continues to press for calming panic over coronavirus.
“There was no first wave – a lie. In March, April and May, 115 less people died in the State of Israel compared to the same period last year. There was no first wave, it is in the hysterical mind of you know who. In Europe and America there was a very respectable first wave, and no second wave,” Lass said in an interview on 103fm.
“No government in the world can stop the virus. This is shown by the fact that the only place in the world where there is no virus is Antarctica. The entire world is full of the virus.”
He added: “The entire state of Israel is full of the virus, no one will stop it. 5 to 10 percent of the population has been infected, it has no significance, it’s like the contagious winter viruses.”
“Despite the vaccine’s existence, one million Israelis are actually infected with the flu, 1,000 die of flu complications. In the winter, there’s a huge wave of mortality that doesn’t interest you.”
Lass called to “meticulously follow the law,” but also “think.”
“Don’t let them brainwash you. Interests stand behind this, as well as foolishness and hysteria. There is a mental illness called anxiety. Believe me, it is an illness from which it is hard to recover, and one who fears does not see the data. There was no first wave in Israel. There is no second wave.”
“As you do more tests, you find more people – who are healthy – testing positive. And the government insists on calling them sick.”
“This issue of coronavirus, which is unprecedented in the modern era, will be studied in social science faculties. There was a social phenomenon here because of the virus of social networks, which really brainwashed the entire world.”
The number of people diagnosed with the virus yesterday was Wednesday, 925, with some counts giving over 1,000.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the Corona Cabinet tomorrow afternoon.
The Knesset gave final approval for the resumption of Shin Bet tracking and decided to impose a partial lockdown on Ashdod and Lod neighborhoods.
Source: Arutz Sheva