An alternate-reality fable for Purim

During the holiday of Purim, Jewish people read the Biblical book of Esther to remember how they were saved from a wicked plot to exterminate them.
The holiday is a time for funny story telling and custom wearing.

Just Imagine how the last two years might have looked like for the people of Israel:

…It happened in the days of the reigning Prime Minister that urgent messengers from the World Health Organization came to threaten the PM with the Plague of the End of Humanity.

And the PM said: Bring me scientific evidence that this is a pandemic of historic proportions.  But the messengers could not produce such scientific evidence. And they sent to him data scientists and modelers, who threatened the Prime Minister with the deaths of a many tens of thousands of Israelis.

And that night, sleep deserted the king. What is he to do? Succumb to the threats of the fear-mongers? Or do as the swedes and ignore the cries of the Ministry of Health officials and the hysterical mathematical modelers?

And in the morning, the messengers came and demanded a lockdown. And the PM demanded evidence that a lockdown would reduce the severity of spread of the pandemic. But they could not give him any such evidence. And he said to them: I will not harm the citizens of the country without scientific justification.  We will do as the Swedes: They did not do a lockdown, and neither will we.

And they asked him to close the schools and imprison the little in their homes, confined to their screens, and the PM told them: are you out of your minds?  Did you examine the benefits of this proposal versus the extent of the enormous health, mental and educational harm that it will cause?

And the messengers said to the PM: At least allow us to force the citizens of Israel to wear masks wherever they set foot. And the PM asked them to present scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the masks in preventing the spread of the virus, but they could not give such evidence. And the PM wished to know if there may be harm in the prolonged use of masks, and the messengers could not answer him. And he said to them: If Florida does not need masks, neither do we.

And the messengers continued to threaten the collapse of the hospitals. And the PM said to them: each year you threaten a collapse, with or without COVID.

It is indeed time to strengthen the system: to add beds, equipment and stuff in order to increase the health system capacity.

And the messengers left the PM and brought his message to the public: to refrain from going out into the public space while they are sick (with symptoms) lest they cough and spread the virus—and to strengthen the healthcare system with beds, equipment, and stuff.

And time passed, and the year 2020 passed, and there was no significant excess mortality in Israel—only a not-so-large and not uncommon fluctuation of 1.5% above the 5-year average similar to Sweden (see[Gefen1]  link below), and the hospitals did not collapse. And the PM saw that it was good, and persisted in his path, and the people were with him. And the people warmed to the good heart of the PM and loved him for his wisdom and integrity. And many messengers came from the kingdoms overseas to learn from Israel how to live alongside COVID without paralyzing the life of the nation and without harming the future of the children.

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And at the end of that year messengers from the Great Pfizer Kingdom arrived and offered the PM the vaccine that promised to protect against the spread of COVID.

And the heart of the PM rejoiced, but he also heightened his level of caution because his wisdom and concern for the people was abundant, and so he asked for evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.

Pfizer representatives told him that the agreement between them must be redacted and the evidence for the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine they or their children or grandchildren will present to him or to his children or to his grandchildren in about 50 years. And they asked the PM to abuse his citizens and demand vaccination for everyone, from old to young, without evidence of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and to impose decrees on the people to ensure that they obey.

And the PM angrily sent them away and ordered to strengthen the healthcare system even more and to make Israel a global example of humane and effective treatment for the victims of COVID and other illnesses.

And another year of security, prosperity and strengthening of the public health system and the public trust in it has passed. Rumors of disasters in the distant countries with lockdowns and coercion reached the curious and inquisitive media, and the appreciation of the citizens of Israel for the PM, and for the officials of the healthcare system and the media only increased.

 And thus Israel was a light unto the nations because it placed its trust in science and not in  fear and because it chose the public good and the strengthening of the relationship of trust between the citizen and the medical establishment over political and commercial interests.

https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/excess-mortality-across-countries-in-2020/

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