Covid-19: in Israel, convincing Israeli Arabs to get vaccinated
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(illustration) Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, who was vaccinated in December to launch the vaccination campaign, called on his “fellow Arab Israelis” to be vaccinated in large numbers.
AMIR COHEN POOL / AFP / File
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4 min
Israel is breaking all records in terms of vaccination against Covid-19.
Almost 1.5 million Israelis have already been vaccinated.
Health officials say they are stepping up their efforts with the Israeli Arab community, which has so far been cautious about vaccination, according to the Israeli health ministry.
An intense information campaign has been set up to convince the most reluctant, and it is timidly starting to bear fruit.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
We are in Nazareth, one of the main Israeli Arab cities.
The waiting room of this vaccination center is almost empty.
Only an old lady is waiting to be vaccinated.
Her name is Soraya Satar, she is 72 years old.
“
I am more afraid of the virus than of the vaccination,
” she explains.
This disease has spread everywhere.
I want to be able to go out again… I can't stand staying at home anymore
”.
A door separates the waiting room from the vaccination box.
Nassim Abou Rchid is a nurse.
In addition to the care he provides, he does educational work with the population.
Objective: to convince Israeli Arabs to be vaccinated.
“
The vaccination rate of the Israeli Arab population was very low.
But we are starting to reverse the curve.
The problem is that there is a lot of false information circulating that is not scientific.
People are just beginning to be reassured.
They have seen people around them get vaccinated and they see it is safe!
"
However, this argument does not yet convince everyone.
Saja Aboud, accompanied her father to be vaccinated, but she still hesitates.
“
I'll see how it goes for dad and decide later.
You have to be careful.
On the news, the health authorities encourage people to be vaccinated, they say it's good.
But hey, there is no rush!
"
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu even gave of himself, live on television, he called on his “
fellow Arab Israelis
” to be vaccinated in large numbers.
►
See also
: Covid-19 in Israel: an express vaccination campaign threatened by a shortage of stocks
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