SA should take a leaf out of Israel’s book on vaccine rollout
Much of the country has reopened for business, with shops available to all and access to gyms and theatres limited to those who had been inoculated.
Healthcare worker Dr Jared Tulloch is given a jab of the first batch of Johnson and Johnson vaccines at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, 17 February 2021, in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: Michel Bega
A glimpse of the future, post-Covid (perhaps post the worst of Covid) is to be had from what is currently happening in Israel, where almost half of the population has already been inoculated.
The government is now preparing to open up and go back to normal: much of the country has reopened for business, with shops available to all and access to gyms and theatres limited to those who had been inoculated and others who are immune after recovering from Covid-19.
Access is granted by a “Green Pass” app, designed by the health ministry, which is linked to personal medical files.
ALSO READ: SA urged to follow Israel on Covid-19 vaccination rollout
Social-distancing measures are still in force, which shows the authorities there still don’t believe Israel is out of the woods as far as the pandemic is concerned.
It’s true that Israel’s comparatively small population (just nine million) and its educated, mainly united people would have made the vaccination process easier and faster … and they are, effectively, conducting the largest “real world” coronavirus study, utilising the Pfizer vaccine.
However, their example shows the benefits of inoculation. It is effectively the key which opens the door to the freedoms we lost in the lockdowns.
It is beyond understanding why some people would reject this lifeline of hope.
READ MORE: Healthcare workers scramble for Covid-19 vaccines
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