TEL AVIV – Israel will begin vaccinating high school students to target a demographic group suspected of accelerating the country’s Covid-19 outbreak.
With a capacity to care for about 200,000 people a day, the country’s health authorities are able to vaccinate about 300,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 18 in a short time, but the challenge will be to make sure everyone is safe. presents to make a shot. Israel has approved the vaccine for anyone over the age of 16. It will not inoculate anyone under this age.
Health Ministry data show that Israel’s younger population is much more likely to test positive for coronavirus, with young people between the ages of 10 and 19 accounting for 21% of known infections. The age group between 20 and 29 years represents 19% of known infections.
“They are megaspreaders,” said Ido Hadari, director of government relations at Israel Maccabi Healthcare Services about high school students. “If we vaccinate these boys, they will stop being scattered.”
Israel is leading the fastest vaccination campaign in the world, so far administering the first dose of Pfizer Inc. vaccine. to almost 30% of its population since the beginning of December. Israel has also received some shipments of Moderna Vaccine Inc., but so far relies primarily on Pfizer.