11 Israelis from the Diamond Princess in Japan heading for quarantine at home
The Government of Israel has given the Sheba Medical Centre the mission to host and care for 11 Israelis returning from the Diamond Princess in Japan.
Medical robot
The 11 Israelis who have NOT shown signs of developing COVID-19 coronavirus aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan will be brought to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer and be housed in an isolated, quarantined complex at a location off of the main hospital campus for two weeks…away from central patient care areas.
Prof. Elhanan Bar-On, director of Sheba Medical Centre’s, Israel Centre for Disaster Medicine & Humanitarian Response said: “Sheba Medical Centre will provide for all of their medical and personal needs during their stay. We are doing everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Israel.”
Prof. Arnon Afek, Deputy Director-General of Sheba Medical Centre said: “We are doing our utmost to minimize and eliminate the danger to the public by isolating the returning Israeli citizens. The secluded complex which is away from the central hospital campus features a small area outside where the returning citizens will be able to take short walks away from the hospital within the complex.
The Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer had already prepared itself for any potential outbreak of COVID-19 weeks ago, so if anyone becomes ill, it is well prepared to deal with it. It is important to note that nearly 80% of COVID-19 patients around the 
world have had a non-complicated version of the virus, with symptoms not that different from the flu, which have been treated accordingly.
We are using some of the world’s most sophisticated hi-tech TELEMEDICINE applications taken from our start-up ecosystem at Sheba and Israel, using sensors, robots, hand-held devices in order to minimize exposure to our medical staff. The goal is to make our returning citizens feel comfortable in an environment where they will know that all of their needs will be taken care of.
MDA EMTs and paramedics prepared to evacuate the 11 Israelis and will be protected by a special suit, mask, hat and glasses, according to the protocol for suspected infectious diseases. After the evacuation, the ambulances will be disinfected using a special system, which ensures that the health of the patients, wounded, and MDA teams inside the ambulance following the evacuation will not be affected.
