According to a study showing the impact of the campaign, the number of Covid-19 infections and the death rate in Israel – the most vaccinated country in the world – is falling roughly in line with the order in which different age groups were eligible to take their photos.
While all Israelis have passed a nationwide lockdown and social distancing rules, the age-related declines in the study suggest that vaccines play an important role in mitigating the pandemic’s impact. About 55% of Israelis have now been vaccinated, which puts it in a unique position among researchers as governments worldwide look for signs that their vaccine campaigns are working.
In the US, where about 32% of people are fully immunized, early data suggests that similar trends can be seen when states extend eligibility to people as young as 16 years old meeting a Biden administration deadline. On April 17, there was an average of 67,442 new cases in the US, about a quarter of the highest 7-day average reached in January, according to federal data.
On January 4, people lined up for a massive vaccination center in Tel Aviv.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf / Bloomberg
Israeli breakdown shows “the effectiveness of a national vaccination campaign in real life,” researchers led by Hagai Rossman of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehoboth, Israel, concluded. “While our findings are preliminary, they have major public health implications in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Hospital admissions and severe cases of Covid in Israel also dropped the most among people over the age of 60, the first group to be eligible to take the vaccines in Israel, according to a study published Monday in the journal. Nature Medicine. Decreases were seen next in the 50 to 59 year olds when they were eligible, and finally in younger age groups who received admissions later.
Demographic shift
Older people make up a declining share of Covid-19 hospital admissions in the US.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Israel began rolling out Covid vaccines early this year, just as a nationwide increase in cases prompted the government to institute a nationwide lockdown.
In the US, the Biden administration has assigned 28 million doses per week for two weeks in a row, enough to inject 4 million Americans every day. But US vaccinations are up 3.2 million doses per day, following a break in use of J&J injections last week over safety concerns.
It is not yet clear whether the current trend represents a cap on vaccination coverage, or a short pause in the rise of daily vaccinations, as has happened before. US states have made vaccination arrangements for everyone 16 and older, which could help increase the rate. At the same time, there are signs of a surplus in some parts of the country.
– With the help of Drew Armstrong and Nic Querolo
Updates with the latest US vaccination numbers in the third paragraph