Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu receives Pfizer Covid vaccine, says 'excited and proud'

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received Covid-19 vaccination at Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, becoming the first  Israeli to be vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech shot. The vaccination was shown live on Israel television as Netanyahu also became the first sitting prime minister publicly known to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Netanyahu was of the opinion that this small injection is a giant leap for the health. 

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Netanyahu said that after taking the vaccine shot that he thought about reopening his country again and about returning to normalcy. In a tweet, Netanyahu also said, "We have worked hard to bring millions of vaccines to our small country. Israel is one of the first countries to be vaccinated. Tonight, more than ever, I am excited and proud to be the Prime Minister of Israel.

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Vaccine doses will be available by January-end'

Earlier, in his video address, the Israeli Prime Minister said that million of vaccine doses will be available to Israelis by the end of January. Netanyahu also called on citizens not to avoid getting inoculated. He also added that after all the frontline workers, the elderly and those in risk groups have been vaccinated, subsequent shipments of the vaccine can cover the entire population of Israel. 

This announcement by the Israeli leader comes after the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine produced by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech arrived in Israel. In total, the Israeli government had signed a deal for 8 million doses of the vaccine, which is already being used in the United Kingdom. Apart from this, Israel has also concluded deals with other manufacturers, including the US Moderna, for other candidate vaccines. 

Earlier on November 1, clinical trials for Israel's domestically produced vaccine against the Coronavirus disease began. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel has reported over 3,57,000 positive cases of Coronavirus, out of which over 3,000 people have died. 

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