Until about two months ago, while Magen David Adom (MDA) performed the tests in the nursing homes (currently they only perform the vaccinations), the situation was in accordance with the strict requirements. However, about two months ago, apparently for budgetary reasons, the Finance Ministry announced that the body that performs the coronavirus tests at the geriatric institutions would be replaced and the laboratories that process the tests will also be replaced. The replacements were two private companies and since they took on the roles, the Health Ministry has not required the implementation of the strict procedure in the field.
Maariv, The Jerusalem Post's sister publication, has received dozens of testimonies that in none of the 184 nursing homes where the virus broke out in the past month was a comprehensive testing of the entire population of the institution carried out immediately. An inquiry with the testing companies does not reveal a clear answer regarding their logistical difficulty in complying with the procedure, but the Health Ministry does not require them to comply with it.
On the other hand, residents of nursing homes where an outbreak of coronavirus has occurred are not vaccinated until the sample of all the elderly staying in it. The result is a double blow - an outbreak that resulted in the deaths of 130 nursing home residents in December alone, and, in addition, the goals of the vaccination campaign for the elderly population, and with them the withdrawal from the quarantine and vaccination of the entire population, is very delayed and may last for many weeks.
Moreover, the founder of the Association of Families of the Elderly, Dr. Orian Yitzhak, emphasizes that "we are still in the midst of a war with about a thousand confirmed elderly patients in nursing homes alone in December - as the Health Ministry suffers from vaccine euphoria. Despite this, in the current situation it will take months to finish the first course in institutions and not two or three weeks as planned."
The root of the problem is the state's attempt to save money on the lives of the elderly. This happened when the laboratories that provided answers within a day were replaced two months ago. Now the answers come only a few days later and are less reliable than before. "All requests from the Association of Families of the Elderly to the Health Ministry to restore the previous procedures were denied. Sources in MDA, that was removed by the Finance Ministry from the testing system in nursing homes due to budgetary concerns, and sources in the nursing homes themselves, warn: "The government commits itself to the success of the vaccination campaign, and neglects the existing outbreak in the nursing homes - the lives of the elderly are sacrificed on the public relations altar of the vaccination campaign."
"There has been no change in procedures and indeed every institution in which a confirmed patient was found among the staff or residents in the survey, the whole facility was subsequently tested," said the Health Ministry in response. "There were also exceptional events and glitches in the testing process and activity in new laboratories but the issue is a priority for testing and most of the problems and glitches were resolved. The Home Front Command and Magen Avot V'Imahot are investigating each individual incident."