Even if its success can’t be reproduced on a global scale, Israel’s rapid rollout is a real-life test of the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines.
For media-obsessed Benjamin Netanyahu, being first in line to receive the coronavirus vaccine was an opportunity the Israeli prime minister was never going to turn down.
With March elections fast approaching, global headlines paying tribute to the pace of Israel’s vaccine rollout could prove to be the perfect antidote to persuade voters to forget about Netanyahu’s corruption trial, and the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have brought the vaccines and you are giving the vaccines,” Netanyahu told health workers at a clinic in an Arab town in northern Israel as he implored residents to get the shot. “The whole world is amazed at Israel. They are writing that Israel is a wonder.”
In just over two weeks, the country has given first shots of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to more than 1.5 million people ― almost 20% of the population and more than 70% of citizens aged 60 or older. That’s the highest level in the world on a per capita basis, according to Our World in Data.
Now, because of its advanced position, scientists believe Israel will provide a priceless global preview into the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Read the article by James Martin in Huffington Post.