Israel says two-third population inoculated with first dose of COVID vaccine

Israel on Tuesday said that the country has inoculated four million people with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, implying that the doses were administered among two-third of the total population. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told the state-run press that Israel has achieved the landmark threshold of 4 million, of which, 2,612,000 have received the second dose. Adding, that the country will continue to ramp up the daily doses of vaccines, Edelstein said that Israel vaccinated close to 156,000 people as of February 16. 

Urging those who haven’t got the jab against COVID-19 yet to come forward, Israel’s health minister Edelstein told state media that only those that have been inoculated or recovered from the coronavirus infection will be able to visit public premises such as gyms and outdoor arenas. The health ministry’s remark come following reports that the government is set to pass a bill that mandates vaccination for all essential and frontline workers, amid increasing scepticism in population below the age of 50 to receive the jab. In order to motivate the population to get immunized against the COVID-19, Israel’s government, according to the Times of Israel newspaper, enrolled schemes such as free food, vaccination on forest trails, and businesses offering incentives to those that get vaccinated. 

[Israelis receive a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from medical professionals at a coronavirus vaccination center. Credit: AP]

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Ramped up COVID-19 vaccination

Last week, Israel's Health Ministry ramped up a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for all citizens over the age of 16. Following the announcement, people in large numbers were seen queued outside vaccination centres in Tel Aviv. We were very fortunate to be able to schedule our vaccination as early as possible in order to get out of the COVID situation and get our life back to pace," AP quoted a 31-year-old Israeli man Tal Ekroni who had come for vaccination, as saying. 

Israel, meanwhile, has also found itself amid political and legal debacle over criticism about refusing vaccination to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Following the stir, the country decided to donate 5,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the Palestinians to vaccinate the essential healthcare workers, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s office confirmed in a statement.  Israel’s decision was prompted after the World Health Organization (WHO) made remarks that Israel was responsible for the health of the Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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