As Israel enters a third strict blockade amid the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there will be enough vaccines to inoculate all citizens over 16 by the end of March, according to a report.
“We will be the first country to emerge from the coronavirus,” said Netanyahu on Thursday night, the Jerusalem Post reported. “We are going to vaccinate all relevant populations and whoever wants to can be vaccinated.”
He said another shipment of vaccines should arrive on Sunday, with many more to follow, adding that an agreement was struck with Pfizer to send more doses, and faster, making Israel a “model nation” of how to beat the outbreak.
“This is an advance that will lift us out of the coronavirus crisis and bring us back to life,” said Netanyahu, according to the media. “This is how we are going to open up the economy, get back to work, to the synagogue … to the lives we love and miss.”
He added that Israel will “share with Pfizer and humanity as a whole the statistics that will help develop strategies to defeat the virus. We can do this because our healthcare system is one of the most advanced in the world. “
The Ministry of Health later clarified that only “general data” will be provided to Pfizer, including data on pandemic morbidity. No personal data will be released, he said.
Netanyahu said he had spoken to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla 17 times, including on the last day, the Jerusalem Post reported.
On Thursday morning, health officials said 1,590,000 Israelis received their first jabs – about 17 percent of the population.
The last blockade, which started Friday, will last at least two weeks.