With the number of Israelis turning up to receive the coronavirus vaccine falling, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday that they are opening the national vaccination campaign to anyone over 16.
The ministry instructed the nation’s health fund to make the necessary arrangements for their expansion from Thursday, but said efforts must continue to reach more people over 50 who have not been included. still.
Administering the coronavirus vaccine in Petah Tikva
(Photo: AFP)
Ministry of Health Director General Hezi Levi told Ynet on Wednesday that the decision was triggered by the declining number of vaccines, which left vaccine centers across the country virtually empty.
Israel leads the world in the percentage of the population that received the vaccine, with a major effort to bring the inoculations to the entire country by March.
To date, more than 3.2 million of the 9 million Israeli citizens have received the first dose of the two-dose vaccines, and nearly 2 million of that number have received the second dose.
But ministry officials said Wednesday that there was only a small increase last week in the total number of people over 60 – considered high-risk from COVID-19 – who have been vaccinated.
A vaccine site in Tel Aviv stood empty last month
(Photo: yossi bardush)
Officials also picked up a 250% increase in the number of critically ill COVID-19 cases in people under 40 last month, which they said was due to the spread of a British strain of the virus.
The country last week also started vaccinating 11th and 12th artisans so they could do their matriculation tests without fear.
Israel’s daily coronavirus cases remain high, with 7,919 new cases Tuesday, showing a 9.3% detection rate. There are currently 1,074 people in the hospital in critical condition including 292 patients on ventilators.
The death toll has also been on the rise, with 31 deaths on Tuesday bringing the total number of people infected with the virus to 4,888.
An Israeli man is getting the coronavirus vaccine in Hod Hasharon
(Photo: EPA)
According to an opinion poll broadcast by public broadcaster Kan, 31% of Israelis were unsure whether they should be vaccinated and 36% were concerned about its safety.
Uncertainty about the effectiveness of vaccines against certain types of coronavirus has prompted profitability that Israel could waive their exemption from quarantine that is now given to vaccines.
“I think that, naturally, as we go down from a higher risk age, more effort is needed to get the population out to get the vaccine,” coronavirus czar Prof Nachman Ash said Wednesday.
He said several hundred doses of vaccines had to be discarded after they became obsolete, unused, because clinics had no demonstrations.
Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch told 103 FM radio station that children aged 12 to 16 can receive the vaccine starting in April, pending regulatory approval, but that it will include children under 12 ” at least another year. ”
Police enforce lock-out restrictions in Tel Aviv Monday
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The government was scheduled to call Wednesday to decide how and when to ease the restrictions of the country’s third lockout.
The Ministry of Health has called for restrictions to remain in place until late Sunday at least, while Defense Minister Benny Gantz wanted to take some measures as early as Friday morning.
Reuters contributed to this report