50% decrease in first aid treatments to bike riders on Yom Kippur
Some 305 people fainted, became dehydrated and felt unwell due to the fast, MDA said.
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANAn MDA medic wearing protective gear against coronavirus waits outside Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
As the Yom Kippur fast day exited, Magen David Adom said that its various teams rushed to treat 2,360 people, of whom 1,818 were evacuated to hospitals for further treatment.Some 305 people fainted, became dehydrated and felt unwell due to the fast, MDA said. Additionally, 17 people were injured in car accidents, including a 54-year-old woman who died.Some 129 people were injured and required first aid from bike accidents, five of them remained in moderate condition on Monday night. This represents a 50% decrease from the year before, likely because so many people chose not to leave their homes due to the coronavirus lockdown.“The vast majority of children and youth who came to us for treatment suffered from bruises,” said Dr. Ehud Rosenbloom, director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Meir Medical Center. “There was a slight decrease in the number of casualties this Yom Kippur, in comparison to previous years, apparently due to the closure. To our joy, there were no life-threatening injuries.”Some 100 children sought treatment at Meir over the holiday, the hospital said. Meir doctors also delivered a pair of twins.Some 18 people were injured in acts of violence.Additionally, 136 women gave birth – two of them en route to the hospital, whose babies were delivered by Magen David Adom first responders. One of those women was from Jerusalem and the other from Beit Shemesh.In two instances, passersby threw stones at MDA ambulances who were driving through their neighborhood.“Unfortunately, there were two instances of stones being thrown at ambulances and disturbing staff,” MDA said in a statement. They said the stones were thrown by youth and children in Hadera.
