On Sunday, December 20, 20, the first phase of the vaccination campaign will begin in Israel. At this stage, vaccines will be delivered to about 10 hospitals and to HMO vaccination centers, for the benefit of vaccinating the medical staff in the HMOs and hospitals. Over the next few days, the vaccine will gradually reach all vaccination sites in hospitals and health funds. Prior to the start of vaccinations, the Ministry of Health publishes all the details on the prioritization of vaccines, how they will be carried out and provides an answer to all questions about the vaccine.
Prioritization of vaccines
In Phase A, medical staff will be vaccinated in the following order:
hospitals
HMOs, private clinics and dental clinics
Geriatric and psychiatric hospitals
Nursing and medical students in clinical rounds
MDA and rescue organizations
Protective institutions for fathers and mothers and welfare institutions for caregivers and their caregivers
Extension of Phase A: Age 60 and over – under the responsibility of HMOs
Vaccination of adults aged 60 and over and at-risk populations is expected to begin next week. As part of the vaccination at the HMO, flexibility must be exercised and vaccinated. For example, an elderly person in the community and the caregiver or caregiver. Another example of flexibility is for caregivers of special-risk populations such as lung transplant recipients.
Step B Expanding the vaccine circle for the entire population in the following order:
Continued vaccination of risk groups: diabetes, morbid obesity, COPD, hypertension, patients with immunosuppression, organ transplants, hematologic patients and the like. It should be noted that the group of patients with immunosuppression should include family and family members in priority.
High-exposure groups such as teachers, kindergarten teachers, social workers, prisons, prisoners and wardens
The IDF and security bodies will receive an allocation in accordance with a vaccination plan that will be presented to the ministry
Next – opening the vaccine to the entire population according to the schedule of health funds
The population that will not be vaccinated at this stage:
Children and youth up to the age of 16
Recovering
Pregnant women
Breastfeeding women
People with a history of severe hypersensitivity reactions – anaphylaxis
Women planning to become pregnant – up to a month after receiving a second vaccine
The Ministry of Health emphasizes that the vaccination campaign will be carried out gradually in accordance with the supply of vaccines to additional populations.
Explanatory video of former projector Roni Gamzo
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine gives information to the body’s cells to produce a harmless particle of the spike protein. This protein is found on the outside of the corona virus. When the vaccine is injected into a muscle, the information passes to the cell to produce the protein particle.
The cell then displays the protein particle on the outside of the cell. The immune system recognizes that the protein does not belong to humans and produces antibodies, just as the body does after infection with the virus. At the end of the process, the body learns how to protect against infection in the future. The benefit of the vaccine is that vaccine recipients will be protected against coronary heart disease and its complications.
What is the technology used to create the vaccine?
Nucleic acid-based vaccines (mRNA) are a method of protecting against infectious diseases. Recognized vaccines cause an immune response by introducing a killed or attenuated generator into the body. Nucleic acid-based vaccines teach the body’s cells to produce a protein – or part of a protein – that causes an immune response in the body. During this reaction, antibodies are produced, which protect us if exposed to the virus. After a short time (hours to days) the molecule breaks down in the body.
Is the vaccine safe?
Yes. Nucleic acid-based vaccines are tested for safety and efficacy like any other vaccine.
Who is the FDA that approves the vaccine?
The US Food and Drug Administration is a government body that centralizes the supervision and regulation of food and medicine products for humans and animals, is considered a very strict body in granting approvals and its approval is a condition for approval of use in many countries.
Isn’t the incredible speed with which the vaccine develops a cause for concern?
No. For three reasons:
- MRNA technology has enabled rapid progress toward distribution. By the way, this technology has been around for over a decade; The corona only accelerated its use.
- All the required steps in vaccine development have been done as required and properly.
- The prevalence of the disease has allowed developers to conduct the experiments quickly, in contrast to the development of vaccines for rare diseases. There was no need to wait years to get results.
Is it possible to get corona from the vaccine?
It is not possible to get sick from receiving the vaccine because the vaccine does not contain the corona virus or part of it.
Does the vaccine have an effect on our DNA?
mRNA disappears within a few hours. The vaccine cannot affect DNA because mRNA cannot enter the cell nucleus, where our genetic material (DNA) is stored.
What is the percentage of effectiveness of the vaccine?
In trials published to date, vaccines have shown a 95% success rate in their effectiveness in preventing coronary heart disease.
And yes, in those who got sick despite the vaccine, the vaccine has shown effectiveness in lowering the risk of more serious illness.
Receiving the vaccine?
Most vaccines require two doses to get maximum protection. When you receive the vaccination summons, it will be your turn to receive the second dose of the vaccine.
The vaccines are given in 2 doses (3 or 4 weeks apart, depending on the type of vaccine). A first dose usually contributes to the familiarity of the immune system with the virus and a second dose intensifies the immune system response. Maximum protection of the vaccine begins after about a week of receiving the second dose.
Vaccines for Corona patients who have recovered?
There is not enough information on how long it takes to recover from the corona virus being considered protected, a phenomenon called ‘natural immunity’. In the first stage, people who have been defined as recovering will not be vaccinated.
After the vaccination, is it still necessary to wear a mask and keep your distance?
At this point, it is important to continue using all means at our disposal to curb the pandemic, such as covering the mouth and even by a mask, disinfecting hands frequently, and keeping a distance of 2 feet from others. The reason why it is not possible to use the vaccine alone is because information has not yet been received whether receiving the vaccine prevents infection. The combination of these measures and the vaccine will buy the maximum protection against the virus.
Does the immunity after infection with the corona virus last longer than the immunity conditioned on receiving the vaccine?
Since this is a new virus, it is not possible to know the duration of the immunity conferred following its infection compared to the immunity conferred by receiving the vaccine.
All information in the article is from the website of the Ministry of Health and the website of the United HMOs and Maccabi.
For more details https://govextra.gov.il/ministry-of-health/covid19-vaccine/home/#vaccination