Israel has unveiled the world’s fastest-growing Covid-19 vaccine campaign, protecting nearly 20% of its population in three weeks. The small country – with about nine million people, about the same as New York City – now aims to include the majority of its population by March.
While the Israeli vaccination campaign is relatively straightforward compared to the mass movements required by countries such as the U.S. that have many more people spread across a larger geographic area, the effort is offer clear lessons.
Dispose of smaller vaccine containers
The Pfizer Inc. vaccine is required. -BioNTech SE to be delivered within five days after leaving the main storage facility and within six hours after diluent is added before five to six doses are removed from a vial .
To deal with that short shelf life and to reach smaller and more remote areas, Israel – with the approval of Pfizer – devised a system to divide the company’s 1,000-dose packages into smaller glasses of several hundred each. . Workers repackage the filters in workstations with large freezers.
Israel, like most other countries, prioritises medical professionals, people over 60 and those with high-risk conditions as vaccine recipients. But to make sure no waste is consumed, authorities are also allowing vaccine establishments to give extra doses to anyone who shows up.