How Israel Leading the World Vaccination “Race”



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As country after country deploys its vaccination programs, waging a road race against coronavirus, a rather unexpected country seems to be ahead of this “race”: the Israel. By this weekend he is expected to be vaccinated. more than 10% of its population, of about nine million, that is, at least one in ten inhabitants. A much better percentage than any other country in the world. Bahrain, a Persian Gulf country with a population of around 1.5 million, is now estimated to be the second largest in the world, having vaccinated around 3% of its population.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He has promised that his country will be the first to emerge from the pandemic if citizens cooperate. Israel has been working hard 24 hours a day, and health authorities, according to The Guardian, have provided the first dose of the vaccine. Pfizer / BioNTech at the rate of 150,000 people a day, that is, almost 2% of the population is vaccinated daily.

Priority in vaccination is given to those over 60 years of age, health personnel and vulnerable groups. The country has made agreements with Pfizer and Modern to acquire several million more doses in early 2021. Military doctors are significantly assisting in the vaccination operation, while the Israeli government has launched a broad campaign against disinformation against vaccine deniers. For its part, the Ministry of Justice has already managed to pressure Facebook to ban the accounts of four anti-vaccination user groups.

Citizens are encouraged to get vaccinated from the perspective of “green passport, A document that will allow people who have been proven vaccinated to eat freely in restaurants, travel and be exempt from quarantine restrictions. However, this motivation has been met with backlash, as there is still no evidence that anyone who did the vaccine, you cannot transmit the coronavirus.

The Israeli government’s ambitious vaccination campaign is also politically motivated, according to the British newspaper, as the Netanyahu He is once again faced with the challenge of holding new elections on March 23, thus wishing he had returned his country to a form of normalcy by then and that this achievement be recognized. From the beginning, he was in constant contact with the Greek-born CEO of Pfizer. Alberto Bourla, calling him even at two o’clock after midnight, in order to secure adequate doses of vaccine for Israel in time.

On the other hand, Israel is in the middle of a third national closure, something that has disappointed many citizens. At the same time, there is the problem of the millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza who have not yet been included in the vaccination program, so it can be months before they are given the first vaccines.

Accusations have already been made that Israel is discriminating, violating moral, humanitarian and legal obligations, as Israeli settlers living in settlements in the Palestinian territories are being vaccinated regularly. The Palestinians hope to get some vaccines through him. COVAX international initiative under the aegis of World Health Organization (WHERE). The head of the WHO Jerusalem office, Gerald Rockenshaub, said the first vaccines in the Palestinian territories were expected in early or mid-2021.

The Israeli authorities have stated that they can provide surplus vaccines to the Palestinians, although the Palestinian Authority has not formally requested the assistance of the Israeli government. However, the delay in vaccinating the Palestinians could have a negative impact on Israel itself, as both it and the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are home to several thousand Palestinians. Late vaccination of the latter may ultimately hamper the achievement of herd (herd) immunity in Israel itself.

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