Why Israel Can't Celebrate Its Vaccine Success Yet
A combination of the new variant and poor compliance with restrictions has led to continued high levels of infection.
A shot in the arm for his campaign.
Photographer: Amir Cohen/Getty ImagesIsrael should be celebrating. More than 20% of its population has been fully vaccinated. Another 15% have been given the first of two jabs and will be protected by mid-February. The government plans to have vaccinated 5 million citizens — well over half the adult population — by mid-March, just before Israel’s next election take places on March 23.
Never has a candidate had better talking points on the key issue of the day. Last week the Maccabi health maintenance organization — one of the four HMOs under which Israeli health care is administered — announced that of 163,000 patients it had vaccinated, only 31, or .02%, were diagnosed with Covid-19 in their first 10 days of full-strength protection, according to the Times of Israel. Members of a control group of unvaccinated Israelis were 11 times more likely to be infected.