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As the UK approves the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, the latest vaccine to gain approval, a global effort to vaccinate billions of people is gaining momentum. Governments around the world will look to Israel, which is moving forward with an ambitious inoculation campaign.
By the end of this week, the country of 9 million people is expected to have injected vaccines to more than 10% of its population, a much higher proportion than other states, including the UK, which has started to vaccinate almost two weeks earlier.
What is Israel’s calendar?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised The Israelis say the country will be the first to “come out” of the pandemic if they cooperate.
After scaling up to a 24/7 operation, healthcare providers are administering the first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine at a rate of 150,000 people per day – nearly 2% of the population.
People over 60, health workers, caregivers and people at high risk have priority. Local media have reported agreements with Pfizer and Moderna to purchase several million additional doses for early 2021, which will be critical if the rollout is to keep pace.
How did Israel conduct the world’s fastest vaccination campaign?
Israel has some natural advantages, being a relatively small country, both in terms of geography and population.
Yet many other countries share these characteristics. Israel’s initial success is also attributed to its healthcare system, which predates the creation of the state and is now highly digitalized. Anyone over 18 is required to register with government-linked insurance agencies, and military medics have been called in to help.
In tandem, the government has launched a vigorous campaign against anti-vax misinformation. The Justice Department successfully asked Facebook to remove four groups that posted “content intended to mislead about coronavirus vaccines.”
Citizens are also being encouraged to get vaccinated by officials who swayed 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, since there is no evidence that vaccines reduce transmission, the idea has been met with skepticism.
Is there a political dimension to the deployment?
Yes, a huge one. Netanyahu is set to fight for competitive national elections on March 23, giving the prime minister a massive push to return Israel to some form of normalcy within the next three months – and then claim credit for it.
Earlier this month, after Pfizer released positive preliminary results, Netanyahu said he had worked “around the clock” to secure a deal, including phoning the company’s CEO at 2 a.m.
Many Israelis have been disappointed with their government’s response to the crisis so far. The country is under a third punitive national lockdown, with accusations that authorities have squandered opportunities to keep infection rates low.
What about the Palestinians?
Millions of Palestinians living under Israeli control in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are not included in the vaccination campaign, leading to accusations that the country is circumventing its moral, humanitarian and legal obligations.
While Israeli settlers living deep in the West Bank are already vaccinated, the Palestinians around them may have to wait months.
Palestinian officials hope to obtain photos through a WHO-led partnership called COVAX. Still, Gerald Rockenschaub, head of the WHO office in Jerusalem, said it could be “early to mid-2021” before the vaccines are available for distribution in the Palestinian territories.
Israeli officials have suggested they could provide surplus vaccines to Palestinians, and the PA has not officially asked for help.
Gisha, an Israeli rights group, said cooperation between the Palestinian authorities and the international community “does not relieve Israel of its ultimate responsibility to the Palestinians under occupation.”
The disparity not only represents a stark microcosm of what’s going on globally – with richer, more powerful countries to be vaccinated first – but it could also affect Israel’s ability to emerge from the pandemic.
Thousands of West Bank Palestinians are working in Israel and Jewish settlements, potentially slowing the country’s path towards the goal of herd immunity.
Are other countries making rapid progress as well?
Bahrain, a Gulf country with a population of around 1.5 million, is in second place, with 3% of its population being hit. Other small, wealthy states in the region, like Kuwait, may soon catch up with Israel.
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