As America struggles to deliver vaccine doses due to logistical bottlenecks and supply shortages, Israel’s launch of vaccines shows signs of dramatic success.
Just over four months ago, the Israeli outbreak of COVID-19 was one of the worst on earth, and the country entered a strict blockade. The Israeli government then struck a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for enough doses to inoculate every Israeli adult by the end of March.
After two months, the data is as promising as scientists predicted. One study of 1.2 million people, the 600,000 who received the vaccine were 94% less prone to symptomatic infections.
Professor Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit at Sheba Medical Center, said supplies are constant and the program is working.
“It’s amazing,” he said, adding, “And now the levels are going down, the ages at which people can already be vaccinated.”
Just a few days ago, the blockade of Israel was eased. It is a welcome new reality for the nation – and for us, a possible look at the future.
There is also more hope for other countries, as the global vaccination effort is slowly growing beyond the richly developed world. Syrian refugees are now being shot, and the first shipments have just arrived in Zimbabwe.
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