AP Interview: Israeli virus czar fights outbreak, politics

AIRPORT CITY, Israel (AP) — When Dr. Ronni Gamzu, one of Israel’s leading public health experts, was named the country's coronavirus czar in mid-July, he was hailed as Israel's best hope for halting a fast-growing number of cases.

Two months later, Israel is suffering from one of the world’s worst outbreaks and heading into a tough new lockdown. Sleeping just four hours a night, Gamzu has faced withering criticism from opponents, pushback from Israel's notoriously fractious political leadership and the stark fact that the number of new cases shows no sign of declining.

In a wide-ranging interview, Gamzu acknowledged the public’s frustration, accepting some of the blame, while also saying that the Israeli public's nonchalance and government mismanagement had contributed to the chaos. Ultimately, he took responsibility for decisions that can affect lives and livelihoods.

“There are many uncertainties," he told The Associated Press. "And you have to make decisions that affect people’s life, people’s habits, social life and living — wages and earnings, businesses. Any kind of a decision that you take, it’s not a medical decision. It’s a social economic decision.”

Gamzu is managing the virus crisis at a bleak time, with the world rapidly approaching 1 million COVID-19 deaths globally.

Israel now has nearly 7,000 cases a day, one of the highest levels in the world on a per capita basis. With 9 million people, it has had nearly 215,000 cases since the start of the outbreak, with 60,000 of those active at the moment. Nearly 1,400 have died.

Friday's tightening of a nationwide lockdown has deepened the sense of frustration among citizens disillusioned by the government’s often confusing decisions and hit hard by an economic downturn.

But Gamzu is...