National Review
Why is Israel doing better than everyone in the COVID vaccination?
Eleven years ago, Dan Senor and Saul Singer dubbed Israel a “starting nation” for its disproportionately large number of tech start-ups and NASDAQ stock listings. Make way for the Vaccination Nation. Israel leads the world in COVID-19 vaccinations. It has already vaccinated almost a quarter of its population, including 75% of the population most at risk, people over 60. It administered 24.5 doses per 100 people, almost double the second best country (United Arab Emirates) and about 8 times more people per capita than in the USA and the UK Israel’s per capita vaccination rate is 24 times higher than the Germans normally efficient and 50 times better than the world average. Only three other countries in the world – the USA, China and the United Kingdom – have administered more vaccines. Why is Israel doing so much better than anyone? Israel’s small size simplifies logistics. But there are other factors. First, unlike the American states, which administered only about a third of the doses they received, Israel made sure it was ready to use its supply. The authorities set up large vaccination centers and mobile units in advance. They reached minority groups, such as ultra-Orthodox and Arab citizens, before the launch to encourage vaccine adoption. Israel started vaccinating in mid-December and by the end of the month it was vaccinating more than 150,000 people a day. Second, Israel secured a large supply from Pfizer by promising to provide comprehensive data on safety and effectiveness. Israel has a computerized health database across the country that can provide anonymous results for all citizens, allowing Pfizer to use the country of nearly nine million people as a real-time laboratory. In return, Pfizer pledged to provide enough doses to vaccinate all Israelis over 16 by the end of March. In addition, Israel was the first country outside North America to approve the Modern vaccine and purchased six million doses. Israel also paid premium prices – a smart investment to end the economic devastation caused by pandemic blockades. Needless to say, Israel is good at planning and executing during emergencies. Señor and Singer identified universal military service as a promoter of Israeli resourcefulness and willingness to take the initiative to improve existing systems. Pfizer packs its vaccine in 1,000-dose trays, which, due to the need for deep-frozen storage, should all be used within a short period of time after thawing. The large number of doses limits vaccinations to centers that can align a large number of recipients. Israel has figured out how to repackage the trays in smaller batches of doses to improve flexibility in delivering doses to a wider range of providers and less populous locations. Israelis are also willing to resist established authority. Pfizer multidose vaccine bottles were allowed to contain five doses. This led many American vaccinators to discard the remaining vaccine after administering five doses, even if it was adequate to provide one or two extra doses, for fear of violating FDA instructions (the FDA clarified that it is acceptable to use all full doses) Israelis, by contrast, were willing from the start to use unexpected sixth and seventh doses. American vaccinators have been reluctant to give the remaining doses to people outside the order of priority set by the government – New York Governor Cuomo has promised hefty fines for out-of-order vaccinations – leading to doses being dropped later in the day. Israeli providers vaccinated off-day walk-ins outside the guidelines to avoid wasting valuable doses. Finally, the Israeli willingness to unite and treat the pandemic as if it were a war and the successful implementation of the government transformed the Israelis’ initial reluctance into a desire to be vaccinated. Prime Minister Netanyahu set an example by being the first Israeli to be vaccinated. The prophet Isaiah said that Israel would function as “a light for the nations”, providing spiritual and moral guidance to the world. Modern Israel, the fledgling nation, can also provide technological and practical guidance.