[ad_1]
First Entry: Thursday, December 31, 2020, 1:38 PM
As country after country rolls out its vaccination programs, waging a road race against coronavirus, a rather unexpected country appears to be leading the way in this “race”: Israel. By this weekend it is expected to have vaccinated more than 10% of its population of about nine million, or 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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised that his country will be the first to emerge from the pandemic if people work together. Israel has made a 24-hour effort to obtain the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine at a rate of 150,000 people a day, according to The Guardian, with almost 2 vaccinated a day. % of the population.
Priority in vaccination is given to those over 60 years of age, health personnel and vulnerable groups. The country agreed with Pfizer and Moderna to supply several million more doses by early 2021. Military doctors are making significant contributions to the vaccination operation, and the Israeli government has launched a broad campaign against misinformation 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 also encouraged to get vaccinated from the perspective of the “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 generated reactions, as there is still no evidence that someone who has been vaccinated is unlikely to transmit the coronavirus.
In the middle of a third national blockade
The Israeli government’s ambitious vaccination campaign is politically motivated, according to the British newspaper, as Netanyahu faces the challenge of holding new elections on March 23, wishing to return his country to a form of normalcy by then. credited this achievement. He was in constant contact with Pfizer’s CEO of Greek origin, Alberto Bourla, from the beginning, calling him even at two o’clock in the evening after midnight, in order to ensure timely and adequate doses of vaccine for Israel.
On the other hand, Israel is in the middle of a third national blockade, something that has disappointed many citizens. While 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, it can take 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 regularly vaccinated. The Palestinians hope to get some vaccines through the international COVAX initiative under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). 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.
