[Jpost] Flights from Europe and other parts of the world began to be halted between February 26 and March 4 – but not from the US. Only beginning on March 9 did Israel block its borders to anyone who came from abroad who couldn't complete 14 days of quarantine in Israel.
The remaining nearly 30% of infections in Israel were imported from Europe and elsewhere: Belgium (8%), France (6%), England (5%), Spain (3%), and 2% each from Italy, the Philippines, Australia and Russia.
STERN NOTED that another important finding is that “we very clearly see a reduction in transmission as of March 20, which is when the lockdown was implemented in Israel – which means the social distancing measures worked… The lockdown saved lives.”
Moreover, the study showed that “super-spreaders” were responsible for most of the coronavirus cases in Israel – around 80% of cases were infected by only between 1% and 10% of patients, or at “super-spreading events, such as large parties or other social gatherings.”
Stern believes that no more than 1% of the Israeli population contracted the virus – “a far cry from herd immunity.”
She said that closing borders and social distancing are two obvious and very important measures that would need to be implemented in any future spike. However, “we have developed tools that will allow us to cope, in real time, with the next outbreak that may occur.” |