COVID-19: Israel vaccinates nearly 1 million people in less than two weeks

In a major win against the pandemic, Israel has vaccinated more than 950,000 residences since mass inoculation began earlier on December 20, Health Ministry said. The latest count implies that the country, which houses nearly 9.3 million, has vaccinated over 10.3 per cent of its total population. The expedited vaccination has also provided a sigh of relief to country’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu who has been lambasted for ‘mishandling’ the pandemic.

In a press statement, the ministry reported that the number of doses reached a record high on December 31 with 153,400  people getting Pfizer/BioNTech jab in a single day. Previously, the daily high was 150,000 on December 29 and 28. According to Channel 12 News, a million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, which has not yet been used in Israel, are set to arrive next, far ahead of the March target date.

Vaccines are giant leap for health

Netanyahu had become the first  Israeli to be vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech shot receiving the shot nearly two weeks ago. 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. 

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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COVID-19  in Israel

The number of coronavirus cases in Israel reached 423,262 on January 1, with 3,319 new cases since December 31 evening. The virus death toll in Israel increased to 3,325 with seven new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 661 to 679, out of 1,089 hospitalised patients.

Read: Benjamin Netanyahu To Become First Israeli To Receive Covid-19 Vaccine

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