THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
MAY 21, 2020
20
The Week In News icates were printed for those who succumbed from the pandemic, and those suffering from advanced stages of the virus were forbidden from going to the hospital in a bid to keep numbers down. “Iran’s leaders, several medical professionals said, delayed telling the public about the virus for weeks, even as hospitals were filling up with people suffering from symptoms linked to the virus,” wrote the report. “And even as doctors and other experts were warning the Iranian president to take radical action, the government resisted, fearing the impact on elections, national anniversaries, and the economy.” As a result of the secrecy, hospitals were unaware that they needed to stock up on protective gear and ventilators to avoid being overwhelmed by the number of cases. This policy would have deadly repercussions for doctors. Forced to treat hundreds of patients daily without sufficient protective equipment, medical personnel suffered an abnormally high rate of infection and death. According to data
collected by the AP, 2,070 doctors have been infected since the virus began, with at least 126 deaths. In addition, an average of one doctor died and another three were infected over a 90-day period as the lack of proper medical gear left them unable to protect themselves. “In the beginning, medical staffers faced the outbreak with very limited equipment,” recounted the AP report. “Some washed their own gowns and masks or sterilized them in regular ovens. Others wrapped their bodies in plastic bags they bought at the supermarket. The result: Dozens of medical professionals without adequate protection died along with their patients.”
New Zealand Quashes Coronavirus Following seven weeks of almost complete lockdown, New Zealand
TheYIEP@gmail.com | 917-209-8204 | www.theYIEP.com
MS in CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
Upcoming program begins August 2020 Registration is now underway
Next MS in CMHC program begins January 2021
*Fully accredited graduate degree *Online program, accessible anywhere *For Men & Women *Program sensitive to Yeshiva & Chassidish students *Yeshiva degrees accepted as undergraduate degree *Reasonable tuition *Federal student loans available Bellevue University - YIEP is the only Orthodox sensitive program accredited by CACREP. Many of our graduates are already employed. Graduates of this program, after passing the national exam and completing postgraduate experience, are eligible for state licensure as Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC). YESHIVA INITIATIVES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Bellevue University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS: WWW.THEYIEP.COM
TheYIEP@gmail.com | 917-209-8204 | www.theYIEP.com
has begun the process of rolling back coronavirus restrictions. Back when the country only had 100 confirmed cases, estimates predicted a trajectory similar to that of Italy. But the country acted swiftly: New Zealand entered a level 3 lockdown on March 23, meaning non-essential businesses were closed, discretionary domestic air travel was banned, and all events and gatherings had to be cancelled. It then progressed into a level 4 lockdown – a stricter approach dubbed the “eliminate” policy – 48 hours later. Under this policy, people were urged to only maintain contact with those they lived with. Even earlier, on March 19, New Zealand closed its borders, banning all inbound travel to the country with the exception of returning New Zealanders and some essential health workers. New Zealand lifted some of its lockdown measures on April 27, moving back into the level 3 stage and allowing people to expand their social “bubbles” to reconnect with close family outside of their households. Residents are now allowed to travel around the country if necessary, but can “only move once, and in one direction.” On Monday, there were no new cases of confirmed coronavirus in the country. So far, 21 people have lost their lives in New Zealand from the disease, all of whom were over the age of 60. While schools, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and malls are reopening across the country, there remain two primary concerns: clubs and funerals. Clubs and pubs, among other locations where people stand and mingle, make it more difficult to carry out contact tracing. Funerals, on the other hand, raised questions about limiting the number of mourners in attendance, particularly when it comes to the threeday-long Maori services known as tangihanga. “There was a lot of conversation around the number of people who could attend,” noted Tracey Martin, the minister of internal affairs. “You can choose not to have a wedding or to delay it, but you can’t choose not to die.” Across New Zealand, some 216,000 people have been tested – over 4 percent of the population. Booths were even set up in supermarket parking lots for random testing, where not a single case was identified.
Jackfruit Goes Global
Part of a South Asian diet for centuries, the waxy yellow jackfruit is gaining popularity around the world among vegans and meat-eaters alike. The fruit weighs around 11 pounds, and can be eaten fresh or used in cooking and baking. It has become a popular meat alternative, now utilized by chefs globally for its meat-like texture when unripe. Consumers are already turning to brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible for alternatives to chicken and beef. In India, the “superfood” is so abundant that, in the past, large quantities went to waste each year. Each tree can produce as many as 150-250 fruits a season, and in parts of the country it was not unusual for private gardens to post notices asking people to take away the fruit for free – the harvest was so plentiful that many fruits would simply rot and attract flies. In the Tamil Nadu and Kerala regions, demand for jackfruit is around 100 tons every day during the peak season to the tune of $19.8 million a year, said economics professor S. Rajendran of the Gandhigram Rural Institute. Sujan Sarkar, the Palo Alto-based executive chef of Bhambri’s restaurants, stated that it’s not only vegetarian or vegans who are consuming jackfruit. “Even the meat-eaters, they just love it,” he said.
IDF Thwarts Terror Attack Three Palestinian terrorists were shot after attempting to ignite an IDF base on fire on Friday evening.
