Israelis get chance to say goodbye to COVID-19 patients

Elisheva Stern was not ready to say goodbye to her father, who was succumbing to the coronavirus in an Israeli hospital.

But knowing countless people around the world are not even given the chance to say last farewells to sick relatives, she decided to be by her father's side for some brief moments, before he died.

Stern's father, Simha Benshai, 75, died at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center.

The centre is offering next of kin of dying coronavirus patients the rare opportunity to say goodbye in person.

The practice is in contrast to many hospitals around the world that are preventing final family visits as a precaution against the contagious virus, leaving patients to die alone and forcing families to grieve from afar.

"None of us want to say bye to the people who we love. But I'm actually happy that they gave me the opportunity to say bye to my father," said Stern.

"I was able to see him and to tell him I'm sorry and I love him," she added.

Recognising the peculiar tragedy wrought by the virus, Sourasky Medical Center opted to spare much-needed protective gear and offer grieving families a chance to say goodbye.

The hospital provides immediate next of kin head-to-toe protective gear that is highly in demand around the world and often reserved for health care workers.

That allows family members about 15 minutes to say goodbye.

The hospital then assists them in removing the mask, cap, robe, gloves and boots with the utmost caution needed to prevent infection.

The virus has infected over 2 million people worldwide and has killed more than 140,000.

It causes mild to moderate flu-like symptoms in most patients, who recover within a few weeks.

But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death, particularly in older people or those with underlying health problems.

Israel has more than 12,500 coronavirus cases and 148 deaths.

But hospitals are not deluged, meaning Sourasky is not under as much pressure as other facilities in virus hotbeds and can spare time and protective gear for final encounters.