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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Israelis that his country would be the first to “get out” of the pandemic and called on its citizens to cooperate.
With a vaccination rate of 7 days out of 7, 24 hours a day, healthcare workers administer the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to an average of 150,000 people a day, almost 2% of the population a day.
People over 60, healthcare workers, caregivers and people at high risk have priority.
Local media announced that agreements have been reached with Pfizer and Moderna to purchase a few million more doses by early 2021, essential for vaccination to keep pace.
How did Israel carry out the fastest vaccination process in the world?
Israel has some natural advantages, being a relatively small country, both geographically and in terms of population. However, many other countries have the same characteristics, not the same performance in terms of anti-Covid vaccination.
Israel’s initial success is also attributed to its healthcare system, which predates the creation of the state and is almost completely digitized.
All of its citizens over the age of 18 must register with government insurance agencies, and military doctors have also been called in to help.
Strong campaign against vaccines
At the same time, the government has launched a strong campaign against vaccine misinformation, notes The Guardian.
The Justice Ministry has successfully asked Facebook to remove four groups that posted “content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines.”
Citizens are also encouraged to get vaccinated by officials who speak about the prospect of a “green passport,” a document that would allow vaccinated people to eat in restaurants, travel freely and be exempt from quarantine.
However, as there is no evidence that vaccines reduce transmission, the idea has been met with skepticism. There is also a political dimension to the vaccination campaign, as Israel is holding early parliamentary elections on March 23, the fourth in the past two years, due to dissensions in the ruling coalition, culminating in the inability to pass the budget. state. Prime Minister Netanyahu has the opportunity for a massive stimulus to return Israel to a state of relative normalcy over the next three months, so that he can then claim appropriate credit for his recovery.
Earlier this month, after Pfizer released preliminary positive results, Netanyahu said he was working “non-stop” to reach an agreement, including making calls to the company’s chief executive at 2 p.m.
Many Israelis have been disappointed in their government’s response to the crisis so far. The country is in quarantine for the third time and authorities are accused of missing an opportunity to keep the infection rate low.
Millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are not included in vaccination efforts, leading to accusations of moral, humanitarian and legal obligations.
While Israeli settlers living in the West Bank are already vaccinated, the Palestinians around them may have to wait months for their turn.
Palestinian officials hope to achieve something at least through an association led by the World Health Organization called COVAX.
However, Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the WHO Jerusalem office, has already announced that “before mid-2021” these vaccines will not be available for distribution in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli officials have suggested they could provide additional vaccines to the Palestinians, but that the Palestinian Authority has not formally asked for help.
Gisha, an Israeli human rights group, said cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and the international community “does not relieve Israel of its responsibility to the Palestinians under occupation.”
The disparity is not only a powerful microcosm of what is happening globally, with richer and stronger countries that must be vaccinated first, but it could also affect Israel’s ability to emerge from the pandemic.
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank are working in Israel and in Jewish settlements, slowing the country’s path to group immunization.
Other countries progress rapidly
Bahrain, a Gulf country with a population of around 1.5 million, ranks second, with 3% of its population already receiving a dose of vaccine. Other small and wealthy states in the region, such as Kuwait, could soon catch up with Israel.
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