Page 19 - TORCH #16 - August 2020

Israel and UAE announce joint effort to combat COVID
In June, Israel and the United Arab Emirates publicly announced a historic strengthening of ties between the two countries by agreeing to cooperate in efforts against coronavirus.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said the agreement was “the result of extensive and intensive contacts in recent months and will bring a blessing to many in our region.”
A spokesman for the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said, “In light of strengthening international cooperation in the fields of research, development and technology in service of humanity, two private companies in UAE sign an agreement
with two companies in Israel to develop research technology to fight COVID-19.”
IsraelgivessupporttoPalestinians 1 Israeli and Palestinian health and medical
bodies made unprecedented strides in cooperation towards preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Israel transferred hundreds of testing
kits, protective suits and masks for medical teams, supplied to Gaza by the World Health Organisation. Israel also provided important training for Palestinian medical teams, even bringing Gazan nurses into Israel to train them, and delivered several shipments of disinfectants to the Strip. The cooperation is further evidence debunking the myth that there is apartheid in Israel. It also shows how Israel is willing to love their neighbour in Gaza, despite Hamas seeking to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
Whilst the cooperation at ground level was significant, the Palestinian leadership continues to put politics before the health of its own people. The Palestinian Authority (PA) refused two planeloads of medical supplies from the United Arab Emirates intended for Gaza and the West Bank just because the cargo went through Israel.
The Etihad Airways flights, which landed in Tel Aviv, contained ventilators and gas for use
in hospital equipment, which the PA claimed it desperately needed. It was a significant step in Israel’s relationship with the UAE, but the PA once again demonstrated that its disdain for Israel is greater than its desire to help its own people.
Hundreds of Israeli robot assistants deployedinAsia 2
An Israeli-made AI-powered robot assistant called Temi is being used in hundreds of hospitals, medical centres, nursing homes, and corporate buildings in Asia to help minimize human-to- human contact to aid with social distancing.
Israeli startup Robotemi, the developer of
the Temi robot assistant, says the product has already been distributed to hundreds of locations throughout Southeast Asia including China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. The Temi was initially conceived as a companion to senior citizens and busy families and was not specifically intended to help with a virus outbreak but that is exactly what is happening.
Coronavirus app launched at beginning of virus spread
Israel’s Health Ministry launched a dedicated smartphone app at the beginning of March to help keep the whole country informed.
Titled CoronApp it includes updated public health guidelines; announcements by the
ministry on the latest restrictions, limitations and quarantine requirements; an option to report self- quarantine; reports on locations visited by recently diagnosed patients prior to their quarantine; user- submitted questions, ministry officials’ responses; and more.
Innovative production of ventilators
To meet the high demand in ventilators, the Startup Nation’s public, private and non-profit sectors rallied together to find fast and affordable alternatives.
Daniel Gold, the retired brigadier general who invented Israel’s world-famous Iron Dome missile defense system, was once again at the forefront of saving lives as head of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate for Defense R&D. The defense ministry converted an Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) production facility for missile and space engineers to mass-produce portable turbine ventilators designed by Israeli medical device maker Inovytec and other manufacturing collaborations.
“Our defense industries have unparalleled capabilities — able to manufacture components quickly and in great quantities, whether it’s for weapon systems or ventilators. This eliminates our dependence on imports,” said Gold. “We are continuing in the race around the clock to translate the extraordinary tech capabilities of the defense establishment, to the fight against corona.”
Meanwhile a group of Israeli researchers and experts from a variety organisations partnered
to create a low-cost ventilator whose blueprints, design and codes are completely open-source meaning they can be mass-produced in labs without the need of dedicated factories. Components can be easily built with limited tools
and parts, for example 3D printers and car pieces, making the production much more accessible even in less developed countries.
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