Target 150,000 vaccines per day: in Israel, the race to end the epidemic

The entrance hall of the small Misgav Ladach hospital, south of Jerusalem, is always full.

The six vaccination points installed on the ground floor are in full operation and welcome the priority public: nursing staff and people over 60 years old.

“I registered on the Internet Thursday and I got an appointment today (

Editor's note: Monday

), says Orna, an elegant octogenarian.

I hope we will end this story once and for all.

Barely set up, the vaccination center is already treating more than 700 people per day.

“It's incredible, I've never seen this,” marvels Yishay Falick, the director of the hospital.

Like the vast majority of his colleagues, the doctor is a fervent supporter of vaccination.

“The marketing authorization was carried out in accordance with the rules of the art, all precautions were taken.

The laboratories went quickly, it is true, but there is nothing extraordinary about that because the American administration gave them considerable means.

And the research on messenger RNA (

the technology used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna

) was already very advanced.

"

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Like Misgav Ladach, all the country's medical centers are mobilized for this mass vaccination campaign.

On Monday, more than 100,000 people received the vaccine across the country, a world record.

And the government does not intend to stop there.

Dozens of new centers will open in the coming days to reach the goal of 150,000 daily vaccinations.

At the end of January, a quarter of the population will be vaccinated.

"We are in a race against time," proclaimed Nachman Ash, the national coordinator of the fight against Covid-19.

Contamination on the rise

Because the pandemic continues to hit hard this country of nine million inhabitants.

After a lull, the contaminations are skyrocketing so that the government has just imposed a third confinement.

Since this Sunday, only essential shops and primary schools can remain open.

To achieve collective immunity as quickly as possible - at least 60% of the population - Israel has spared no expense.

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According to the local press, the doses would have been bought 43% above the market price in order to be served in priority and in abundance.

An additional cost of 1 billion euros for public finances.

"It is well worth it, each day of confinement costs a fortune to the state and destroys entire lives," said Yishay Falick.

In Israel, the vaccination campaign does not generate much opposition in the medical community.

Nor among the political class, usually very divided.

A beautiful unanimity that contrasts with the heartbreak at the start of the pandemic.

Prominent rabbis had then incited their followers to violate the rules of confinement.

Result: astronomical contamination rates in the religious districts and towns of the country.

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This time, the main rabbinical authorities lined up behind the government.

"Everyone must be vaccinated without delay according to the instructions of the doctors in order to avoid endangering themselves and endangering others," urged the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Itzhak Yosef.

What instills a wind of optimism on the scientific community.

According to a specialist from the prestigious Weitzman Institute, if the vaccination campaign continues at this rate, the virus could disappear as early as the middle of February.