In a special announcement this evening Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "In recent weeks I have held 17 phone calls with the CEO of Pfizer, the last of which was over the past day. I'm excited to give you the news of a huge breakthrough that will bring us out of the coronavirus. We will be the first country. The agreement with Pfizer will see all Israeli citizens above the age of 16 vaccinated by the end of March in a campaign called "Back to Life." We will publish the order of priority for those to be vaccinated in the coming few days."
"We agreed that Israel will be a model for the world for the vaccination of an entire country. For this reason, we have brought forward the vaccinations and increased their number. On this basis, the vaccination strategies for the whole world will be set. On the next Passover eve, we will all sit around the table together - grandparents and grandchildren."
He continued, "We will open up the economy, we will return to work, to synagogues, to bars and restaurants and cultural life. Meanwhile the virus is more rampant than ever. The mutation is bringing about record numbers of deaths and infections. For us victory is within our grasp and I call on everybody from all sectors of society to observe the instructions of the lockdown. We will be able to return to our normal lives."
Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein spoke after Netanyahu. He said, "70% of those over 60 have already received their first vaccination. From Saturday night we will begin administering the second doses. During the week we will set the order of priority for the rest of the population."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 7, 2021
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