Page 2 - Emergency Department Project, Soroka Medical Center_Neat

Dear Arthur,

We hope this note finds you well despite the trying times in which we all find ourselves.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus brought with it a new and challenging reality. The healthcare system is at the forefront of the battle against the
virus and must also continue to provide the best medical treatment available to all patients—those with COVID-19 and those with other diseases and
conditions.

The treatment of COVID-19 patients is particularly challenging due to the need to minimize the exposure of the medical staff to patients to prevent the
spread of infection and ensure the survival of the healthcare system itself.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Kirsh Emergency Department has remained at the forefront of referrals to Soroka and vital emergency care.

Throughout the crisis, during the peak of the first wave, during the period when infections rates began to decrease, and now as Israel is unfortunately
experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 morbidity, the staff of the Emergency Department has remained highly aware of the importance of identifying
COVID-19 patients and providing them with optimal care while ensuring the safety of staff members and other patients.

In order to guarantee that we are able to address the challenges before us in the best way possible, Soroka has prepared in a variety of ways, including the
following:

• Soroka was the first medical center in Israel to open a respiratory ER and a special track that makes it possible to isolate patients with respiratory
symptoms who may test positive for the coronavirus in order to prevent the infection of other patients and staff in the ER. This model has since been
adopted by other hospitals in Israel.

• Three tents were erected in the outdoor plaza of the Emergency Department to provide an optimal response to the growing number of patients, reduce
the number of patients in each area, and separate the various sections of the ER as far as possible. A team established by one of our department
heads who previously served in an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit together with other Soroka staff who served in an IDF elite reconnaissance unit
(students/doctors/paramedics) led the way in the establishment of this special compound.

• S­ oroka has done its utmost to ensure the quality of its teams’ work, employing multiple practices to reduce contact between staff members. For
example, in the Emergency Department, the staff was divided into three teams in order to minimize contact and infection that otherwise could have led
to it being incapacitated. In many units, teams were split into groups that do not meet with each other to ensure the survival of units critical to Soroka’s
continuing operation. The Virology Lab team, which performs hundreds of tests a day to diagnose the virus, was split into two separate teams working
at two different sites. Some ambulatory services were provided by means of telemedicine technologies. Alongside all of the activities at Soroka, we
interface with the community in a variety of ways in the context of coping with the outbreak and treating COVID-19 patients.