Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel, Austria and Denmark will set up a joint research and development fund, and possibly production facilities, for COVID-19 vaccines.
“We are going to make a joint research and development fund and discuss … whether co-investment in production facilities for vaccines is possible,” he told reporters, with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen by his side.
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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
(Photo: GPO)
Austria and Denmark have been running at the slow release of COVID-19 vaccines within the European Union amid concerns that a second generation of vaccines will be needed to combat mutations of the virus.
Kurz praised Israel’s treatment of the pandemic, saying “the world views Israel with great respect,” building Netanyahu’s leadership during the vaccination scheme and “[showing the world] that it is possible to defeat the virus. “
Kurz also lamented Netanyahu for recognizing the high risk of the early pandemic and said the Israeli leader was “probably the main reason we responded very early in Austria.”
Frederiksen said that Denmark and Austria were “strongly encouraged by Israel’s ability to produce the vaccines” for the coronavirus so effectively that they cannot allow themselves to be “re-infected.”
Netanyahu, who said 90% of eligible Israelis have either received at least a dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine or recovered from the virus, has demonstrated Israel’s advanced inoculation program of its campaign for election 23 March.