The vaccination campaign for Corona, which began in the second half of December, continues these days, but the situation on the ground indicates that there has been a slowdown in the rate of immunization.
PM Netanyahu: “National goal – vaccination of 90% of people aged 50 and over within two weeks” // Photo: GPO
“Everyone who comes gets vaccinated”
The huge queues, urgency, overcrowding and quarrels at the entrance to the vaccine complexes were replaced yesterday by brilliant loneliness. The adults with whom the vaccination campaign began have already been vaccinated for the most part, and those aged 35 and over show a lack of confidence in the vaccine. Maybe trust in their strength and age. In practice, the vaccine complexes in Tel Aviv were almost deserted yesterday. Those who came were mostly young people in their 20s, who wanted to take advantage of the unresponsiveness of the age group above them, and win a vaccine from the no man’s land.
As a reminder of the madness that was about a month ago in the race for the vaccine, only the checkpoints that stood on the side of the compound remained and those that were supposed to “fix” the queue. The guards also seemed more relaxed and not tense as they were a few weeks ago. One of the guards in the compound admitted yesterday that the guidelines had indeed been loosened recently.
The population began to be vaccinated in the second dose // Archive photo: Moshe Ben Simhon and Newsenders
“When the operation started, we would check everyone, according to the appointment booked and the year of birth on the ID card. Today they are much more flexible. Security check – and basically put everyone who comes, and that the staff inside will decide whether to vaccinate him. .
Reut, a resident of Tel Aviv, arrived at one of her HMO’s vaccination complexes. Although she is only 24 years old, she says she has wanted to get vaccinated for a long time, she still dreams of the big trip abroad with her boyfriend. Although Ben Gurion Airport is closed, but in the end it will open, she believes.
“Stop being afraid of getting infected”
“I’ve been trying to get vaccinated for a long time,” she said yesterday. “I’m not worried about any side effects, I just want to get back to normal life and stop being afraid of getting infected in Corona. A lot of adults I know have been vaccinated, and now they are much calmer. I have been to several immunizations in the past, or rather. , But either there was a huge queue, or they just refused to vaccinate me because I’m too young.After seeing yesterday that there were a lot of surpluses, and that the HMOs were even a bit stuck with vaccines, I called the center, and this time I was gladly told In general, I’m already waiting to get a second dose and finish with it, and then fly to a trip I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. “
Director General of the Ministry of Health estimates: “We will start vaccinating the young population in February” // Photo Archive: GPO
Only 1.3% of vaccinated: Rahat and Beitar Illit were left behind
According to the website of the Ministry of Health, the rate of vaccinators in the ultra-Orthodox city of Beitar Illit is only about 9%. Out of about 65,000 residents, almost 70% of its residents are under the age of 18, while the 60-plus population in the city stands at only 992 people. Of these, more than 600 were vaccinated against the corona. It seems that among this age segment the response was high.
The municipality of Beitar Illit still does not have up-to-date data on the number of vaccinators in the city since the age of 16. However, the municipality is critical of the fact that the state does not invest enough in information about the corona in general and vaccines in particular.
Meanwhile, the Bedouin sector refrains and even opposes receiving the vaccine doses. In the Bedouin locality of Saifa, only 2.78% of the residents have been vaccinated so far, and 1.37% of them have been vaccinated for the second dose. The locality has 59 active patients. In Rahat, the largest Bedouin city, the figures are similar: only 9.8% of the residents were vaccinated for the first dose and 5.1% for the second dose.
Leading vaccines: Negev and Sharon localities
Residents of settlements in the Jewish sector in the Negev are flocking to receive the vaccine against the corona virus. In recent days, the Lehavim local council issued a solemn announcement that the community, together with Omar, is a leader in the rate of vaccinators in the country.
An analysis of the data of the vaccinated in Lehavim shows that until yesterday, 65.45% of the residents received the first vaccine dose, and 47% the second. The community settlements in the Negev maintain a primitive status throughout the country in vaccinating the residents. In the locality of Omar so far, 64.62% of the residents received the first portion, and 46.8% the second.
In the Tel Mond local council in the Sharon area, the rate of vaccinators is very high and stands at 80.3%. Lynn Kaplan, head of the council, said: “We are doing everything to make Tel Mond a healthy and corona-free colony. I believe the period we have experienced in the past year must come to an end for our residents, for business, for culture and for the economic and healthy future of us all.”
Participated in the preparation of the article: Meital Yasur Beit-Or, Avi Cohen, Efrat Forsher, Gadi Golan and Yaron Doron