Israel signed deal with Pfizer to receive millions more coronavirus vaccines

Israel signed an agreement to buy millions of additional doses of vaccinea against the coronavirus by 2022, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced, as sources reported The Jerusalem Post.

In addition, Israel and Pfizer have agreed to the option of purchasing millions of additional doses if needed. Vaccines purchased and signed they will adapt to resist variations.

Signed deal should ensure Israel can continue to deal with coronavirus pandemic at least until the end of 2022, According to the announcement.

“In recent days, I have spoken again with my friends, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message. “There were obstacles in Israel that we had to overcomer, and we’ve found a way to overcome them.

“While there are no surprises in the form of coronavirus variants that vaccines don’t overcome, we have committed to purchasing millions of additional vaccines with Pfizer.”

He said he also hopes to have an extended contract with Moderna in the near future.

Since December, nearly five million Israelis (53% of the population) received both doses of the vaccine, or 80% of the population over the age of 20, according to official data from the country, in which some 836,000 cases of covid-19 and more than 6,300 deaths have been reported.

In January, Israel recorded a peak of 10,000 daily cases despite the vaccination campaign, since the effects of the immunizer do not begin to be felt until a few weeks after the injection. From that moment on, the curve started to bend, so the authorities authorized the reopening of bars, restaurants and cafes in early March.

In the last days the country it only recorded about 200 daily cases.

Without chin strap

The vaccination – one of the fastest in the world – has dramatically reduced infections, deaths and hospitalizations in serious condition.

It also led to a gradual reopening which resulted in with the return to an almost complete normality in the streets of the country.

Israelis no longer under heavy restrictions, and yesterday the outdoor masks could be removed after a year of mandatory use to contain the pandemic. However, these are still needed indoors and Health recommends taking them also at large meetings or in crowded areas outdoors.

In transport, it is mandatory to use it but outside, outside, more.

Eliana Gamulka, blonde with blue eyes, gets off the bus and he ties his yellow mask to his right wrist. A simple but illegal gesture for a year.

“On the bus I wore the mask, most people wore it, then I took it off […] I’m relieved, we can live again, ”says Eliana, a 26-year-old project manager, happy that the measure came into effect two weeks before her wedding. “We can all celebrate it without a mask and the photos will be magnificent!”

The downside, Eliana jokes, is that “you can’t pretend you don’t know anyone on the street anymore.”

Other passengers, on the other hand, they prefer to keep the mask worn when exiting the bus, or they leave it at chin level so they can be put on quickly when entering a store. Ester Malka, “used” to wearing a mask, prefers to wait before removing it in the street.

“I’m still scared… We’ll see what happens when everyone removes their masks. If I see that everything is fine in a month or two, then I will take it off, ”explains the office worker.

The country was able to take this step on Thursday evening, thanks to an intense vaccination campaign, facilitated by an agreement signed between the State and the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

In exchange for rapid access to millions of doses of the vaccine, Israel provided Pfizer with real data on the effect of the vaccination. In Israel, the medical data of the population is digitized.

Source: EFE and AFP

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