Daily Briefing Jan. 31 - Herzog's explosive UAE trip; uplifting COVID research

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan.

Esther Pollard, the wife of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, died on Monday from coronavirus-related complications at the age of 68. We hear why hers is a household name in Israel.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog began an unprecedented trip to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and members of the Jewish community, among others. Later that day, however, the UAE’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist group toward the country. Why are the optics on this so important geopolitically?

Jeffay wrote a heart-wrenching article last week after speaking with Shaare Zedek’s Dr. Ariel Rokach, who minutes prior had just lost another patient. With all the media discussions on how Omicron is a relatively “light” wave, Jeffay explains why it is important to hear these stories as well.

Next, we hear how Israel’s HMOs are the real frontline of the Omicron wave, and how successful they have been in keeping the hospitals functioning.

Jeffay also brings us newly published research conducted during the Alpha and Delta waves that shows how children living with inoculated parents had 72% fewer infections than unvaxxed parents’ offspring.

And finally, Berman says a few words about Tom Brady.