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 the age of 16 by the end of March, according to a report.
“We will be the first country to come out of the coronavirus,” Netanyahu said Thursday night, the Jerusalem Post reported. “We will vaccinate all relevant populations and anyone who wants can be vaccinated.”
He said another shipment of vaccines is expected to arrive on Sunday, with many more to follow, and added that an agreement was reached with Pfizer to ship more doses and more quickly, transforming Israel into a “model nation” for overcome the outbreak.
“This is a breakthrough that will take us out of the coronavirus crisis and bring us back to life,” Netanyahu said, according to the media. “This way we will open the economy, we will return to work, to the synagogue … to the lives we love and miss.”
He added that Israel “will share with Pfizer and humanity in general the statistics that will help develop strategies to defeat the virus. We can do this because our health care 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 disclosed.
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 had received the first blows, about 17 percent of the population.
The last blockade, which began on Friday, will last at least two weeks.