A bottle of Moderna Inc. vaccine. Covid-19.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg
Photographer: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg
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While countries around the world skirmish for coronavirus vaccines, Israel has so many shots that it retains its effects Supply with Moderna Inc.
And it does so while under fire because it has not inoculated millions of Palestinians under its control.
The vaccine supply exceeded demand from the world’s largest per capita inoculator, which contracted to receive millions of doses from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in exchange for extensive data on the launch of vaccines in the country. People under the age of 50 were less willing than their older compatriots to line up, so the pace of vaccination slowed, with 40% of the country’s 9.3 million people receiving their first inoculation.
A box containing vials of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at a medical center in Bethlehem, West Bank, on February 7.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg
Israel is working with Pfizer to speed up data vaccine deliveries
Due to Pfizer’s constant deliveries, much of Moderna’s only delivery, totaling about 100,000 doses, remains in the cold store, according to Eli Gilad, a senior Coronavirus health ministry official.
“The amount of Moderna in Israel is very small” and it is not worthwhile to put another vaccine into circulation when the country uses millions of doses of Pfizer, Gilad said.
The supply with Moderna – which was delivered in January and may remain in storage for a longer period of six months – will eventually be used and there has been no change in expected deliveries, Gilad said. Vaccine guidelines have not been issued, said Avi Levin, who runs the Tel Aviv vaccine complex for Greater Israel. health supplier, Clalit Health Services.
The most vaccinated nation in the world is fighting viruses
Israel is also postponing receiving supplies through a program backed by the World Health Organization, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the vaccination strategy.
Two thousand Modern doses were transferred to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to inoculate medical workers with another 3,000 planned. But for the most part, Israel is eliminating calls to provide vaccines to Palestinians.
A Palestinian nurse administers a dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to a health worker at a medical center in Bethlehem, West Bank.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg
Some officials and advocacy groups say Israel has a responsibility or interest in inoculating millions of Palestinians under its control.
“The argument that you can’t afford to give it to the Palestinians is no longer valid,” said Zvi Bentwich, a member of the board of doctors for human rights in Israel. Doses not used by Moderna, he said, “strengthen this argument.”
But even a vaccination program for Palestinians working in Israel is not yet underway, according to Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch.
Read more: Short-term, Israeli builders seek to vaccinate Palestinians
While Moderna and Pfizer use both similar technologies and have demonstrated almost identical results, there are small differences. The interval between Pfizer photos is three weeks, compared to four for Moderna, and the Moderna vaccine is easier to store and transport, while Pfizer requires ultra-cold temperatures.
Minor discrepancies should not discourage Israel from using Modern, said Eli Waxman, a physicist who leads a team advising Israel’s national security council.
“The most important thing is to get as many vaccines as possible – Moderna, Pfizer – and vaccinate people,” Waxman said. “I think he could cope with such a change without much difficulty.”
– With the assistance of Naomi Kresge