TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – When it comes to the fight against the coronavirus, Israel is discovering the limits of vaccines.
The country famed for its high-tech prowess and spirit of innovation is home to the world’s fastest vaccination program, fueled by national pride and a deep desire to ‘come back to life’. as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it.
But experts say the country’s reopening will take months, complicated by coronavirus mutations spreading from Britain and South Africa, a refusal in some sectors to adhere to safety rules and wobbles at the pace of people’s vaccinations. under 60.
While the government is expected to start relaxing a third nationwide lockdown in the coming days, there are likely to be further, partial closures as the threat ebbs and flows.
“This is going to be a balancing act,” said Eyal Leshem, director of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases at Sheba Medical Center.
It’s an impressive feat that more than a third of the 9.3 million people in Israel have received at least one injection in just a few weeks, and more than 1.9 million have received both doses, perhaps putting the country on its way. to by the end of March.
In addition to praise for its speed, Israel is under worldwide criticism for excluding Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the blocked Gaza Strip. The situation has drawn attention to the global inequality in access to vaccines between rich and poor countries.
Rights groups say Israel as an occupying force has a duty to vaccinate Palestinians. Israel denies having any such responsibility and says its own citizens are a priority. Nonetheless, Israel delivered 5,000 doses for the first time this week of the Moderna vaccine to the Palestinian Authority to inoculate medical workers.
In Israel, researchers are starting to see the effects of the vaccinations for the first time, giving other countries a very early glimpse of what lies ahead.
Netanyahu said on Thursday that among the over-60s, the first group of vaccinated, serious cases of hospital admissions have fallen by 26% and confirmed infections have fallen 45% in the past 16 days.
“This is a direct result of the vaccinations,” he said. “The vaccines work.”
But other key indicators, including deaths and new infections, remain high, in part because of the rapidly spreading mutations and the months-long delay before the vaccine shows its full benefits.
Israel reports about 7,000 new infections per day, one of the highest rates in the developed world. Nearly 5,000 people died, more than a quarter in January alone.
Israel has certain advantages that suggest that its success in vaccinations cannot be easily duplicated elsewhere. It’s small, with 9.3 million people. It has a centralized and digitized healthcare system delivered through just four HMOs. And its leader, Netanyahu, has made the vaccination drive a centerpiece of his bid for re-election in March., negotiating deals personally with the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna.
Still, experts around the world are eagerly watching.
“Israel’s aggressive vaccination program shows that it is indeed possible for a country to get vaccines into people’s arms quickly and efficiently,” said Jonathan Crane, a bioethicist at Emory University in Atlanta. In an email, he praised the centralized effort, compared to the “fragmented” way vaccines are delivered by different jurisdictions in countries like the US.
Even with these early signs of success, it is becoming increasingly clear that there will be no daytime pandemic, a festive moment when people are released to return to work, have big family gatherings, or resume the social life they once knew.
Reopening will depend on many factors, including attempts to stop the spread of the highly contagious varieties and whether the public is taking appropriate precautions. Many Israelis were shocked this week by scenes of large ultra-Orthodox funerals for two respected rabbis, with most of the mourners without masks.
Some segments of the population, including the Arab and ultra-Orthodox sectors and younger adults, have apparently shown a reluctance to get vaccinated, which could also hinder efforts to achieve “herd immunity” and stop the virus.
“All of Europe is waiting for the vaccines, and here people don’t want to be vaccinated?” Sara Baruch said after receiving her second dose in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. “It’s weird.”
She said it’s a “big mistake” if the trend continues: “We can’t go on vacation and get back to the normal life we had before.”
The vaccination campaign has become a hallmark of pop culture and a point of national pride. Israelis proudly post photos to social media showing they are being vaccinated, and an HMO will serve up cappuccinos afterward so people can be checked for side effects before they leave.
Experts have recommended a gradual reopening of the country, although the political leaders will make the final decision. Closures and reopenings, experts say, will be a cost-benefit analysis that will change as the outbreak progresses and the state of the economy.
Dr. Nadav Davidovitch, a member of a government advisory panel, said young children and vaccinated high school students over the age of 16 in the first stage should be given the opportunity to return to school, and that only inoculated teachers should be in the classroom . Street shops and restaurants can be opened for takeout only, followed at later stages by shopping centers and cultural events open only to those who have been vaccinated.
He said the steps should be staggered every two weeks, keeping a constant eye on the number of infections, testing and more vaccinations. Indoor and outdoor public gatherings should be limited for a while, he said. Social detachment and masks will be required in the near future.
“It will be very gradual in the coming months,” said Davidovitch, director of the school of public health at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. “Vaccinations are very important, but they are not going to solve all problems.”
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Associated Press writers Josef Federman, Isaac Scharf and Ilan Ben Zion contributed.
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