Israel is leading in vaccinating against the Coronavirus: one-third of their population has already received a dose of the vaccine. Their vaccination campaign started back in December and so far, they have the fastest rollout in the world. The vaccine most Israelis have received is the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is an mRNA vaccine that requires two shots 21 days apart. 

     Undoubtedly, the country’s population size of only nine million plays a role in the effective distribution, but most of the credit is due to their healthcare system. All citizens are enrolled in HMOs, which is a universal and digitized system. Israel’s HMO systems are extremely efficient at accessing their citizen’s healthcare records and vaccination information because every citizen has their own ID number. The delivery system of the vaccine is also very well-organized since Israel’s healthcare system has made many accessible vaccination sites all across the country. Thus, not only did their universal healthcare system properly prioritize vaccine candidates, but it also made proper communication and access to key information easily accessible to their citizens.

      Additionally, Israel has a “no waste policy” for their vaccines which maximizes the number of vaccine recipients. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has a demanding shelf life and specific temperature demands. Leftover doses of the vaccine will spoil if unused, so Israel offers citizens not originally on the priority list the opportunity to get their first dose of the vaccine instead of wasting them. 

   The results of these efforts are evident as the number of Israelis testing positive for COVID-19 has fallen drastically. For people over the age of 60, only 0.07% tested positive with even smaller hospitalization rates. There’s a 35% drop in cases, 30% drop in hospitalizations, and 20% drop in severe cases. Using this data, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had a 92% effective rate in a population (not a clinical trial), which is incredible. Although Israel ordered a strict lockdown in January which may also have contributed to this drop, it’s still apparent that the vaccine is an effective tool for stopping the spread.

    Herd immunity is still a seemingly impossible reality in the rest of the world, especially with mutations of the virus. Even Israel achieving herd immunity is quite difficult. However, Israel’s healthcare system’s effective organization already propels the country closer to this goal. Their Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has stated that he is hopeful about all of Israel being fully vaccinated before April of this year. Israel’s methods for distributing the vaccine serve as a model for other countries struggling to keep up with vaccine demand. 

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Pfizer-BioNTech.html

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55706855