Israel has administered more COVID-19 vaccinations than any other nation, with more than 1 million people receiving blows – a rate of 12.59 doses per 100 people, according to new data from a follow-up site run by Oxford University.
Why does it matter: While countries such as the United States lag behind on immunization targets, Israel has given coronavirus doses over 10% of its population of 9.2 million since it began administering the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine on December 19th.
The whole picture: Israel is in its third national blockade, with more than 3,300 deaths due to COVID-19 and 435,000 cases. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country “could emerge from the pandemic as early as February” as it delivers doses to about 150,000 people a day, the BBC notes.
- Israel has also entered into agreements with Moderna and other coronavirus vaccine manufacturers. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are not covered by the implementation, which the Palestinian Authority has not formally requested, the Guardian reports.
- Israeli officials have indicated that they could administer surplus vaccines to Palestinians, and the UN-led COVAX initiative intends to distribute doses across the territory.
For registration: The United States has given 4.23 million doses, a rate of 1.28 per 100 people since Saturday, according to figures from Our World in Data, led by Oxford, which measures single doses of vaccine that usually requires two shots.
- President-elect Joe Biden last week criticized the Trump administration for “falling behind” on its goal of getting 20 million Americans to receive the coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2020. Trump blamed states for distribution delays .
- NIAID Director Anthony Fauci expects to see an increase in vaccine momentum in the US this month, which should allow health officials to reach the projected pace.