Rachel M. Roth, at The Blogs

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Feb 14, 2021, 9:35 AM

Facing another school reopening

Israeli elementary school students wearing protective face masks at school in Tel Aviv. (Chen Leopold/Flash 90)

Requiring (and enforcing!) masks and distancing would protect our children in school, so why are we either sending them back unprotected or keeping them home day after day?

Dec 8, 2020, 1:02 PM

Corona Vaccine Straight-talk

Are you going to get the vaccine when it is available? I know there are people firmly in both camps (“No way, I don’t vaccinate” and “I’ll be the first one in line”), but most of us are in...

Oct 13, 2020, 12:58 PM

The Safety of School Reopening

We are facing school opening again. It is time to re-examine the impact of school closure on the coronavirus pandemic. Have we learned anything from last time? Do we know anything new about the coronavirus which changes what we...

Oct 11, 2020, 12:15 AM

How to Make the Haredim Listen

Sorry, the title is to catch your attention. If this is the way you think about solving a public health issue in a hard-to-reach community, you have already lost the battle. Approaching any community that is not your own...

Sep 15, 2020, 11:37 PM

Why We Are Frustrated

We are frustrated because we have been here before. Lockdowns are mentally, physically, and financially taxing, but we did it with strength and goodwill the first time because we understood that the moment called for unity. We stood on...

Aug 6, 2020, 1:09 PM

Make it Possible to Protect Each other

It's too hard to get tested. Now, before you tell me how easy it was, hear me out. I mean the psychological barrier of testing is too high. Testing positive brings a host of overwhelming problems for many: they are...

Jul 27, 2020, 10:26 AM

Is it safe to send them back to school?

Israeli school children wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus as they walk in Tel Aviv, July 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Here are 3 key points for the Ministry of Education to keep in mind as they make decisions, and a little strategy to help keep our kids safe

Jul 19, 2020, 8:39 PM

Summer of Corona: Catching the (second) Wave

We thought we had COVID beat in this country, but our second wave is much worse than our first. Why has it resurged, and what can we do about? The national efforts including school closures, enforced social distancing, holiday lockdowns,...

Apr 27, 2020, 3:16 PM

Back to School? A Summary of What We Know

It is happening. Israel is loosening the restrictions on movement. They are doing so based on planning and data, with guidelines as to how to measure if our efforts are safe and successful. As a society, the next milestone...

Apr 12, 2020, 10:03 AM

To release everyone back to life/society there can be a few solutions: 1. “Mass (Viral) Testing” – i.e. Find and isolate the sick. This is the strategy that worked for countries like Taiwan and South Korea. It requires the ability to...

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About Me

Dr Roth is a US-trained family physician with specialties in research and global health. She made aliyah five years ago to Ra'anana, and is mother to four young children. Dr Roth currently practices both in Israel and to the US via telemedicine, and directs the Clinical Reasoning Course at Sackler Medical School (Tel Aviv University).