When Israel began to vaccinate its citizens against Covid-19 in December, the Ministry of Health set aside doses for incarcerated people 60 and above, in line with its national guidelines prioritising the age group. They are still sitting in freezers. The minister in charge of Israel s prison services is refusing to allocate coronavirus vaccines to inmates, said epidemiologist Hagai Levine, who before resigning last week over issues with the government s pandemic response was a member of the country s coronavirus task force.
Stuff
Prisons have been Covid-19 hotspots worldwide. While other examples are not always so stark, the situation in Israel mirrors a tendency around the world. Prisoners, given the challenges to social distancing, are especially at risk of contracting the coronavirus. But many countries have not prioritised their inoculation.
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Coronavirus: Northern Ireland reports record 2,143 new cases Approval of AstraZeneca vaccine paves way for ‘acceleration’ of inoculation programme
Wed, Dec 30, 2020, 11:22 Updated: Wed, Dec 30, 2020, 16:20
The emergency approval of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is a game changer as it can be distributed easily, says Professor Andrew Pollard, trial chief investigator at Oxford University. Video: BBC
A technician working at the Jenner Institute on the University’s COVID-19 candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, co-invented by the University of Oxford and Vaccitech in partnership with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. Photograph: John Cairns / University of Oxford / AFP
For the second day in succession Northern Ireland reported a record number of confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday.