The UK will have to look "very carefully" at the effectiveness of a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the country's chief scientific adviser said, after reports from Israel suggested the protection it provides may be much lower than shown in trials.
While rich countries are busy hoarding the Covid-19 vaccine, poor countries may not receive it until 2024
A woman gets vaccinated against Covid-19 in the Golan Heights on 13 January (AFP)
As Israel rolled out its Covid-19 vaccination programme last month, largely leaving Palestinians out in the cold, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said: “We can’t deny an Israeli citizen a vaccination because we want to help someone else. But if there will be extra or a feeling that everyone is feeling safe, then we will.”
In other words, vaccinating the five million Palestinians who live in the occupied West Bank and Gaza is not a priority - but it may be in Israel’s self-interest to do so, if it helps to curb the spread of the virus on a broader scale.
Video footage shows the officers being pushed and beaten by the rioters. The officers are also seen getting into their vehicle with dozens of people chasing it and smashing the car windows with sticks and stones. The police said one officer was lightly wounded.
Several hours later, a large police force arrived at the area of the yeshiva attended by those who allegedly attacked the officers. According to police, clashes erupted during which youths set fire to trash cans. Officers responded with tear gas and arrested three individuals who were present.
(Bar Peleg)
7:55 P.M. Health Ministry panel recommends vaccinating teens 16-18
English By Linda Gradstein Share on Facebook Print this page JERUSALEM - Israel has sped ahead of any other country in its vaccine rollout, with more than 2 million people out of a total of 9.3 million already having received the first vaccination. In exchange for access to so many doses so early, Israel agreed to share data with Pfizer, a move some in Israel says raises privacy concerns.
As much of the world scrambles to acquire enough vaccines for their respective populations, Israel already has secured enough doses for its entire population of 9.3 million people. According to media reports, Israel has paid well above the going rate for the Pfizer vaccines, hoping to be able to open the Israeli economy sooner.
Jan 19, 2021
JERUSALEM After sprinting ahead in the race to inoculate its population against the coronavirus, Israel has struck a deal with Pfizer, promising to share vast troves of medical data with the international drug giant in exchange for the continued flow of its hard-to-get vaccine.
Proponents say the deal could allow Israel to become the first country to vaccinate most of its population, while providing valuable research that could help the rest of the world. But critics say the deal raises major ethical concerns, including possible privacy violations and a deepening of the global divide that enables wealthy countries to stockpile vaccines as poorer populations, including Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, have to wait longer to be inoculated.