Israel’s coronavirus vaccination campaign, the world’s fastest per capita, has shifted to booster shots in a bid to protect the most vulnerable citizens by next month and ease damage to the economy.
Israelis over the age of 60, those with health problems and medical personnel have been receiving first injections of Pfizer vaccines since December 19.
As three weeks have passed, they are beginning to be due for follow-up, final doses.
“It changes everything,” said Guy Choshen, a director of the COVID-19 ward at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, who got his second injection on Sunday.
“I’m really happy that I’m over that (and) looking forward for all this epidemic to be finished.”
The Health Ministry said 19.5 per cent of the population have been vaccinated, including more than 72 per cent of the over-60s.
Israel’s vaccination rate is by far the fastest compared to the rest of the world, according to the Our World in Data website, which is run by research organisation Oxford Martin School.
In second place is the United Arab Emirates, which as of Sunday had inoculated 10 per cent of its population, followed by Bahrain and the United States at 5 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said vaccinating vulnerable cohorts will allow Israel to emerge from the pandemic in February. He is up for re-election in March.
Read the article by Dan Williams in The West Australian.