BY RAPHAEL MORAV, Ambassador of Israel
Coronavirus knows no borders as it has become clear to all, and countries all over the world are facing the same challenges to public health and their economies. From the outset of the pandemic, Israel emerged as a leading nation in the global fight against coronavirus, learning from the experiences of others and sharing its own with the world, including Ethiopia.
It sustained a burst of innovation surrounding the pandemic that included start-ups and drive-in testing centers, the widespread use of telemedicine, and vaccine research. Israel’s success in responding to the pandemic has continued into 2021, and the country now boasts the highest per capita vaccination rate of any country in the world, outpacing all others by far.
Israel began its vaccination drive in late December 2020, and within just the first two days of the campaign, nearly 30,000 Israelis were already given their first dose.
Now, just less than a month later, over 2 million Israelis have received their vaccination shot, and the country is on track to vaccinate all citizens over the age of 16 by the end of March 2021.
This speedy and ambitious target has been made possible through a new deal that Israel inked with pharmaceutical companies in early January. Dubbed ‘Operation Back to Life’, Israel is set to receive ongoing shipments of the vaccine over the coming months, which will enable the country to reach its bold target and become one of the first countries in the world to exit from the coronavirus crisis.
Moreover, by sharing its statistical data with Pfizer and the world, Israel will also play a key role in demonstrating the efficacy of the vaccine and developing global strategies to overcome the pandemic.
In fact, Israel’s small population of some nine million and its highly efficient public health system mean that the country is going to play an essential role for pharmaceutical companies.
The success and experience of our vaccination campaign will be used to provide the critical information that pharmaceutical companies need in order to make the vaccine even more effective for other countries. By being the first country in the world to vaccinate its entire population with the novel vaccine, Israel will serve as the world’s key experimental subject.
Israel’s universal healthcare system is globally recognized for its efficiency and effectiveness. Israel has developed a sophisticated and high-quality level of individual patient care, and all Israeli citizens and permanent residents are guaranteed healthcare under the country’s National Health Insurance Law.
All Israelis can choose from four comprehensive not-for-profit health plans that provide a standardized basket of medical services, and each provider must accept all residents regardless of age or state of health. Combined, there are thousands of clinics spread across the country, ensuring that each and every local community is served.
Moreover, its national healthcare services enjoy a uniquely advanced level of digitization, which will make Israel’s data particularly important to pharmaceutical companies. Israel’s extensive national network of medical services lies within the Ministry of Health’s purview.
It was this comprehensive system of doctors, nurses, and medics that rapidly mobilised in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and which is now working towards vaccinating the entire country within a matter of months. In fact, Israel’s constant and daily battle with existential threats meant that it was especially well-placed to handle an emergency of the magnitude that coronavirus brought on.
The entirety of Israel’s national systems thus coalesced around the crisis. The Prime Minister arranged multiple conversations with Pfizer’s CEO to secure a steady supply of vaccinations.
Magen David Adom – Israel’s national emergency response service – continues to be at the forefront of the pandemic, having now been tasked with the responsibility of vaccinating the residents and employees of nursing homes and assisted living centers across the country.
The Israeli Defence Forces similarly mobilised, assisting in administrating quarantine hotels and supplying food to families in lockdown at the height of the pandemic, and now dedicating its own paramedics and military reserves to the current vaccination push. It is thus that Israel holds the world record for its vaccination rate and will be able to rapidly complete its inoculation drive.
While Israel hopes to be COVID-19 free within a few months thanks to its persistent and intensive vaccination campaign, it spares no effort to develop a vaccine of its own that will be particularly suitable for Africa’s needs where the cold chain is a real challenge for the delivery of the actual approved vaccines.
Human clinical trials have begun in early November on the coronavirus vaccine developed at the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), a government research institute.
The government of Israel plans to establish an enterprise for the permanent production of the vaccines after it gets the regulatory approval. This enterprise will not be on a for-profit basis, it will be a supported agency, so that the people of Israel may have this capability that is essential for its national security. I immensely hope that the Israeli vaccine will be available soon so that it can reach Ethiopia with no delay.
The Ethiopian Herald January 24/2021
