Medical Advisory signed by 25+ doctors in Boston...

thriver

Fri, Apr 03 2020, 11:58 am

בס״ד

April 3, 2020

Medical Advisory about Pesach 5780

Dear Community Members,

We are concerned by the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases throughout the United States and by the number of cases that can be traced to people who travel from out of town. There are many tragic cases of severe disease requiring mechanical ventilation, and unfortunately (לא עלינו) many people are dying from COVID-19 complications. The virus can affect people of any age, and it is imperative that we all adhere to our state’s guidelines and stay at home.
We urge community members not to travel anywhere for Pesach. Seder participation should be restricted to one’s household members only.

Quarantining for 14 days or recovery from suspected COVID-19 does not change these recommendations. Viral shedding may occur prior to the development of symptoms and may continue long after recovery. This means that people can transmit the virus to others even when they do not have symptoms of COVID-19.

The medical system is already overburdened by caring for individuals with COVID-19, and experts advise that peak rates of infection will occur later this month. It is a critical time, and failing to adhere to medical guidelines can lead to deaths (and חילול ה׳). We hope that everyone will stay safe and stay home.

May we merit to see בנין בהמ״ק ונאכל שם מן הזבחים ומן הפסחים

Sarah Abbett, MD, MPH, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Daniel Aldrich, PhD, Northeastern University

Adam Berman, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School

Joanne Borg-Stein, MD, Spaulding Rehab & Newton-Wellesley Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Joseph Feuerstein, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Jeffrey L. Forman, MD, Tufts Medical Center/Floating Hospital for Children

Elliot Israel, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Vladimir Kaplinskiy, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Michael Klompas, MD, MPH Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Philip Levy, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Yisroel Lowenstein, MD, Steward Medical Group

Esther Jacobowitz Israel, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Ernest I. Mandel, MD, MSc, Brigham & Women’s Hospital & Hebrew Senior Life/Harvard Medical School

Ariela Orkaby, MD, MPH, Brigham & Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

David Preiss, MD, PhD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

David H. Rosmarin, PhD, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Samuel Rubin, MD, MPH, Boston Medical Center

Yonah (Jonah) Rubin, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Miriam Segura-Harrison, MD, Alpert Medical School/Brown University

Sol Schulman, MD PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Daniel Stein, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Kim Stein, MD, Alpert Medical School/Brown University

Eliezer Sternberg, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Shoshana Streiter, MD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Robert Sundel, MD, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Anna Thorner, MD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital & Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School and AlloVir

Nahum Vishniavsky, MD, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates

Chana Wasserman, MD, MIT Medical/Mount Auburn Hospital

Yaakov Weinreb, MD, Steward Medical Group