Chavah Sherman checked into Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center at Ein Kerem on Tuesday morning, January 11th, 2022, for pre-op. Sherman says surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, and she was told she would be admitted one day in advance of the surgery. However, after the events that actually unfolded, the Sherman's now say their confidence in the medical establishment is “plummeting.”
At a pre-op doctor’s appointment, the surgeon asked if she and her husband were vaccinated, and upon hearing that they were not, reassured them that it was not a problem, they needed only to bring a negative PCR test within 72 hours in order to be admitted on Tuesday. Sherman and her husband took their tests on Sunday, and with negative results arrived at the hospital on Tuesday.
A nurse noticed that the 72-hour window of their PCR results would expire 30 minutes before surgery was scheduled to begin the next day, at which time Head Nurse Penina Cohen reprimanded the subordinate charge nurse for admitting unvaccinated patients altogether.
The charge nurse argued on Sherman’s behalf, and the surgeons were prepared to operate as scheduled, even, according to Sherman, hinting that they would operate regardless of what the head nurse decided. The charge nurse reportedly spent long hours on the phone with hospital administrators trying to plead the case.
After much back-and-forth, it was decided that the patient would have to undergo a second PCR test and receive a negative result by the time of the surgery, or the surgery would be canceled. This, despite the fact that Sherman’s negative result from her original test was still valid.
The Shermans report meeting many hospital staff members, including four surgeons, among whom the common mood was “frustration” at “arbitrary and ever-changing rules.” The surgeons reportedly expressed that while they recommend that people take the COVID-19 vaccine, they respect everyone’s choice to make that decision for themselves, and personally had no issue treating unvaccinated patients. They added that “no one should be punished for a medical choice.”
Wednesday morning arrived, and, while still in the window of her 72-hour negative PCR, Chavah’s test returned positive. The Shermans claim that once again, the hospital did not seem to have a protocol in place for what to do with her. Mrs. Chavah Sherman was allegedly relegated to a side room for twelve hours without a buzzer until the hospital found an ambulance to take her home. She was brought food once during this time.
Yudi Sherman, Chava's husband, said: “The last thing you want to see on your doctor’s face when you turn to him for help is confusion and uncertainty. The doctors and nurses seem lost, and can’t keep up with the arbitrary COVID rules that change daily by management.” He concluded: “As with many once-respected institutions, public confidence in the medical establishment is plummeting as they get captured in the web of Covidmania.”
Frontline News asked Hadassah Hospital to comment on the case, presenting a waiver signed by Mrs. Sherman to discuss the case. Questions included:
- On what legal basis did Hadassah Hospital instruct Hodaya, the charge nurse, not to admit Chavah Sherman due to her non-vaccinated status?
- Whose decision was it that Chavah Sherman would be denied surgery unless she received a negative result on a second PCR test, by the time of the surgery?
- On what legal basis was Chavah Sherman forced to submit to a second PCR test, while her current one was still valid?
- The surgeons, including Dr. Lior, Dr. Max, and Dr. Solomon were quoted saying that no one should be punished and denied healthcare for not getting vaccinated. Does Hadassah Hospital officially disagree with their opinion, and if so, on what medical basis?
- The medical staff, including the doctors, expressed confusion regarding the rules, which they said are constantly changing. Is Hadassah Hospital aware that many medical staff members are confused? What steps are being taken to fix that?
- Sherman arrived at Hadassah Hospital with a negative PCR test result and left with a positive one. Can Hadassah Hospital say for sure that she did not catch COVID from the hospital?
- Do Hadassah Hospital administrators hold that vaccine-free patients should be denied health care?
- While Sherman was in 12-hour isolation after testing positive, not one nurse came to check on her, take her temperature, or check for symptoms. Does Hadassah Hospital consider COVID-19 to be dangerous enough to warrant periodic, if not constant, checking, and if not, why?
- Given that Sherman tested negative before hospitalization, and positive after hospitalization, and infection rates appear higher in the vaccinated than in unvaccinated individuals (see the UK data), is it reasonable to assume she contracted the virus from hospital personnel?
- Were any of the hospital personnel who attended to Chavah Sherman vaccinated?
- Are vaccinated and unvaccinated patients who test positive similarly detained and neglected until transport to home?
- If Chavah was asymptomatic, what evidence of asymptomatic spread in the unvaccinated was management's decision based on?
Hadassah Medical Center did not respond to Frontline News' request for comment.
