Ronni Gamzu

Israelis at a cafe in Tel Aviv on March 11, 2021. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

March 11, 2021, 10:30 pm

Health officials: Situation in Israel ‘most hopeful since pandemic began’

Officials tell TV that if positive trajectory continues, Israelis will celebrate Passover without restrictions; former virus czar: COVID as a pandemic is behind us

By TOI staff

A medical worker at a drive-through site to collect samples for coronavirus testing in the northern Israeli city of Safed on February 8, 2021. (David Cohen/Flash90)

February 18, 2021, 6:11 pm

A vaccine-defiant Israeli mutation wouldn’t be surprising, ex-virus czar warns

Ronni Gamzu says high case count, together with high vaccination rates, may cause the virus to evolve to ‘escape mutation’; but he voices optimism on collective protection

By Nathan Jeffay

Illustrative: Human respiratory system (magicmine; iStock by Getty Images)

February 5, 2021, 3:29 pm

New Israeli drug cured 29 of 30 moderate/serious COVID cases in days — hospital

Medicine developed at Ichilov moderates immune response, helps prevent deadly cytokine storm, researchers say; 29 of 30 phase 1 trial patients left hospital within 3-5 days

By TOI staff

The empty roads of Tel Aviv during a nationwide lockdown, January 16, 2021. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

January 16, 2021, 11:44 pm

Blue and White, Haredi parties said to oppose extending lockdown beyond Thursday

Cabinet to meet later this week to decide how to proceed, as Health Ministry pushes to keep restrictions in place; 44 new fatalities reported over weekend

By TOI staff

Ronni Gamzu, CEO of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and former virus czar receives a COVID-19 vaccine, at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), on December 20, 2020 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

January 15, 2021, 9:53 pm

Top official: Israel in ‘final stages’ of COVID, showing world an exit strategy

Ex-virus czar says with a quarter of population having received 1st shot, country seeing clear evidence vaccine is working; number of seriously ill over 60 drops sharply

By TOI staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Wednesday, January 6, 2021. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool via AP)

January 7, 2021, 11:12 pm

Unveiling deal, Netanyahu promises enough vaccines to beat COVID by end of March

With Pfizer to ship millions of doses from Sunday, Israel will be first in world out of pandemic, PM says; will share data with firm, acting as ‘model country’ for global strategy

By TOI staff

A medical worker prepares a COVID-19 vaccine in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on December 20, 2020. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

January 5, 2021, 1:11 am

Health minister halts vaccine supply to Tel Aviv hospital that injected teachers

Yuli Edelstein fumes after Ichilov vaccinates thousands of teaching staff, many below 60 and not in risk groups; hospital chief says rules were followed, didn’t want to waste doses

By TOI staff

Prof. Ronni Gamzu speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his office near the central Israeli city of Lod, September 24, 2020 (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

January 2, 2021, 7:09 pm

Often spurned by cabinet that hired him, ex-virus czar lashes COVID leadership

Channel 12’s ‘Uvda’ followed Ronni Gamzu as he fought to build coherent national virus policy. He now says Israel’s politicians are ‘cowards’ who often chose optics over substance

By TOI staff

IDF soldiers perform contact tracing for coronavirus patients. (Israel Defense Forces)

December 23, 2020, 11:40 pm

Health Ministry’s epidemiological chief resigns, claims IDF tracing a failure

Liora Valinsky says army operation to cut chain of infection is weak, unprofessional, ineffective and sending thousands into quarantine for no good reason

By Stuart Winer

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, 59, gets a coronavirus vaccine at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, December 20, 2020. (Screenshot/Twitter)

December 20, 2020, 3:47 pm

Minister slams public figures under 60 ‘cutting in line’ to get COVID-19 vaccine

Ze’ev Elkin says he’s uneasy that mayors, ministers, MKs and chief rabbi are getting the shot before at-risk populations; Rivlin, 81, gets inoculation, vouches for its safety

By TOI staff

An Israeli medical worker receives a COVID-19 vaccine, at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on December 20, 2020 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

December 20, 2020, 6:10 am

Israel kicks off mass coronavirus vaccine drive to stamp out COVID-19 pandemic

Health workers start receiving the shot; president, IDF chief of staff among first to get inoculated; from Monday, Israelis over 60 can get vaccinated

By TOI staff

(L-R): Then-Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman-Tov during a press conference announcing the new health basket at the Health Ministry in Jerusalem on January 3, 2019; former director-general of the Health Ministry Prof. Ronni Gamzu speaks at a Finance Committee meeting on February 11, 2014; outgoing housing minister Yifat Shasha Biton at a ceremony at the Housing Ministry in Jerusalem on May 18 2020. (Noam Revkin/Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

December 4, 2020, 10:33 pm

‘Professionals Party’ of technocrats said poised for run in next election

But two of main candidates in yet-to-be formed faction flatly deny unsourced TV report, which claims party would take away seats from Bennett and be willing to sit with Netanyahu

By TOI staff

Screen capture from video of Israel's former coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu during the Israel Democracy Institute's annual Center for National Security and Democracy conference, held online, November 24, 2020. (Israel Democracy Institue)

November 25, 2020, 1:24 pm

Virus crisis will be over by next year, says ex-COVID-19 czar, citing vaccines

Ronni Gamzu expects massive production in various countries will produce enough immunization units during first half of 2021

By TOI staff

This May 4, 2020, photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP)

November 12, 2020, 7:52 pm

Health minister: Israel to sign deal Friday to buy Pfizer coronavirus vaccine

Edelstein says enough doses will be bought to immunize 4 million people; delivery to begin in January and continue throughout 2021

By TOI staff

Outgoing coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu speaks at his handover ceremony, November 12, 2020 (Screen grab/GPO)

November 12, 2020, 4:06 pm

Ending his tenure, virus czar says politicians hamstrung his efforts

At handover ceremony, Gamzu says Israel’s needs as it fights the coronavirus have been ill served by leaders’ politicking

By TOI staff