Vaccination Program Success. What should other countries learn from Israel?

There is no doubt that Israel is the leader in COVID-19 vaccination. Thanks to the high availability of vaccines and the rapid pace of the vaccination program, it was possible to vaccinate a large part of the public in an impressive time. However, one question remains – what will happen when a more contagious variant of the coronavirus begins to spread in the country?

1. In Israel, 40 percent were successfully vaccinated. of the population with one dose of the vaccine for COVID-19 and 16%. two doses
2. The first results of studies on vaccine effectiveness are very promising
3. What made Israel the world leader in vaccination? This was due to several factors
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Vaccinations against COVID-19. Israel’s incredible success

Thanks to the exceptionally efficient vaccination campaign against COVID-19 conducted in Israel, we can observe the real impact of this preventive action on the further development of the pandemic. As of January 28, 2021, Israel remains the country with the highest administered dose per population. So far, about 40 percent. of the entire population were vaccinated with at least one dose, and 16 percent. have been fully vaccinated.

Particular success has been achieved in vaccinating people over 60 years of age who qualify for the first injection. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, 84 percent have already been vaccinated. people in this age group. This is extremely important as the deaths of seniors accounted for 95% of the total number of deaths. with over 5 of all COVID-19 deaths in Israel.

An analysis of data from the six-week vaccination campaign revealed that the number of new COVID-19 cases among people aged 60 and over has decreased by 64%. In this age group, 48% were also reported. decrease in the number of critical COVID-19 cases and 50%. fewer deaths. Experts say the results are all the more promising as Israel is struggling with a new variant of the coronavirus. Option B.1.1.7, also known as the British one, currently accounts for around 80% of the tested samples. It is most likely responsible for the sudden surge in the disease among children. Despite the success of vaccinating adults, more than 50 were detected in January. new infections among children and adolescents. This highlights the key issue of vaccinating more people, not just the elderly, in order to reduce the transmission of the virus in the population.

1. See more: Coronavirus variants that worry scientists the most

Vaccinations against COVID-19. Israel versus the rest of the world

It is difficult to compare the current vaccination rate in Israel with other countries because Israel has received more doses of the vaccine. This is partly due to an agreement with Pfizer to “determine if herd immunity is achieved beyond a certain vaccination percentage”. Israel has committed to providing anonymous, aggregated epidemiological data about its citizens, and Pfizer has supplied Israel with a large number of doses. However, the mere possession of the preparation is not enough to vaccinate many people in such a short time.

Other factors influencing the speed of vaccination are, for example, the country’s demographic structure. Israel has 9,3 million inhabitants and a relatively young structure of society (people over the age of 64 represent about 12% of the population), which reduces the amount of vaccines needed to vaccinate the most vulnerable group. Additionally, simple, clear and easy to implement vaccine priority criteria were applied.

In addition, the Ministry of Health, along with medical associations and several non-profit organizations, launched campaigns to promote vaccination in social media and mass media to combat fake news and raise awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of vaccination. Political and religious leaders as well as celebrities joined the action.

In addition, the country has well-developed IT systems and logistics solutions. Among other things, one, the most modern medical warehouse was enough to store the entire national reserve of Pfizer vaccines at the required temperature. In addition, Israel is one of the few countries with a complete digital immunization record covering all children in the country. Based on experiences from previous mass vaccinations, including influenza, the National Vaccine Registry platform has been rapidly adapted to the current COVID-19 immunization program.

In addition, Israeli residents have one unique identifier used in all health care facilities, which has now enabled the collection of data on doses and number of vaccinations on an ongoing basis. The registry also allows the monitoring and evaluation of side effects after vaccination, and provides real data on vaccine efficacy.

An issue that cannot be overlooked is also a fairly large team of well-trained nurses who are authorized to perform vaccinations without the presence of doctors. Israel also acted swiftly to change the rules governing the practice of paramedics so that they too could administer vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy tested in Israel

Early evidence suggests that vaccines work almost as well in practice as they do in clinical trials. New cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations have dropped significantly among those who have been vaccinated. Israel’s largest healthcare organization recently announced a 94 percent drop in symptomatic COVID-19 infections out of 600 in press releases. people who received two doses of Pfizer vaccine compared to the same size group with a matching medical history that did not receive the vaccine. They estimated that the probability of serious illness from the virus is 92 percent. smaller.

Israel’s success in early vaccination implementation appears to be due to the high availability of Pfizer’s formulations and a combination of other factors. It is not known, however, what would happen if the more disturbing variant began to spread in Israel. A strain first identified in South Africa is not only more contagious, it can also reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

Author: Magda Mazurek / Medexpress

Also check:

1. The Czech Republic at the forefront of COVID-19 infections. What’s happening at our neighbor’s?
2. One dose of the vaccine causes the body to react strongly. Good news from Israel
3. «Second-class vaccine»? Virologist about side effects