How Israel Became the Covid-19 Vaccination Champion
The vaccination campaign in Israel is advancing much faster than many other countries in the world.
© MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP
Text by: Sami Boukhelifa Follow
4 min
Nearly one and a half million Israelis have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
That's 15% of the population and the Hebrew state does not intend to stop there, it hopes to reach the two million people vaccinated by the end of the month.
What is the secret of such efficiency?
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From our correspondent in Jerusalem,
It all starts on December 19.
This Saturday evening live on television,
it's the big show
: Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is the first Israeli to receive an injection of the vaccine against the Covid-19.
In the process, Benyamin Netanyahu expresses his ambition: to vaccinate, protect the Israelis, we must go quickly.
10 days later, the record is broken.
It is early January and the symbolic threshold of one million vaccinated people has been crossed.
A vaccine to save ... Benyamin Netanyahu
But the Prime Minister sees the big picture: he wants to eradicate the virus by spring, reopen the borders and restart the economy.
Benyamin Netanhayu wants to appear as the savior of the Israelis, but it is not without ulterior motives.
First, his trial resumes in mid-January.
He is tried for corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust.
Then, we are
in the midst of an election campaign
and Benyamin Netanyahu, who is aiming for re-election, hopes to credit his way out of the crisis.
To achieve this, he is putting all the chances on his side, even if it means paying for this vaccine against Covid-19 at a high price.
The Israeli taxpayer therefore had to put his hand in his pocket.
To get the precious sesame from Pfizer BioNTech, before anyone else, Israel paid almost double the original price.
The purchase contract was signed in November for 8 million vaccines.
So there is no question of wasting the slightest dose.
The Hebrew state has set up an exceptional organization.
It must be recognized that the logistics are efficient.
No question of cluttering hospitals with millions of vaccine candidates.
It is the Israeli health insurance funds, the equivalent of social security in France, which directly manage vaccinations.
They have significant material and human resources.
Those over sixty were contacted first.
They were therefore able to be vaccinated as a priority, at the same time as the nursing staff.
Fight against false information
The health authorities have also set up a vast awareness campaign.
Its goal is to fight relentlessly against false information.
And it works.
At the end of December, 63% of Israelis said they were in favor of vaccination, compared to only 24% at the beginning of December.
Those who get vaccinated also get a reward: "
a green passport
" which allows them to travel abroad and avoid quarantine on their return home.
The only downside, in this exemplary vaccination campaign,
reinforced
general confinement
comes into force this Thursday evening.
The country is certainly recording a record in terms of vaccinations, but also in terms of new contaminations, multiplied by six compared to the beginning of December.
►Also listen: Report - Covid-19: in Israel, convince Israeli Arabs to get vaccinated
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Israel
Coronavirus
Health and medicine
Benjamin Netanyahu
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