On January 20, enduring its third coronavirus wave under yet another lockdown, Israel recorded its first 10,000-case day alongside more than 100 deaths.
Less than a month later, it is slowly reopening businesses. The average age of hospitalisation for severe COVID-19 dropped from 69 to 63, and the number of severe cases has declined from about 1200 to 935 within six weeks. On Sunday, there were 3400 new cases and 32 deaths in Israel.
What changed? As of this week, 28 per cent of Israelis have received both doses of Pfizer’s vaccine and an additional 43 per cent have received their first. The country has the highest rate of vaccination in the world, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.
Israel’s vaccination program, which began on December 19, initially focused on over 60s and healthcare workers. More than half of Israelis had received their first dose of the vaccine within five weeks.