The Health Ministry on Wednesday ordered health providers to prepare to offer vaccines to the entire adult public starting Thursday, as infection levels remained high and the cabinet was set to decide whether to extend the nationwide tightened lockdown from Friday to Sunday.
Israel has led the world’s most rapid inoculation campaign, with over a third of the population getting at least one dose, but the rate has been slowing down in recent days.
Until now, vaccines were open to risk groups and anyone over 35, with the elderly first to be immunized, as well as teens aged 16-18. Now, anyone over the age of 16 will be able to get the shots. Kids under that age were excluded from vaccine trials and therefore cannot be inoculated until additional research is conducted.
The Health Ministry said Wednesday that 3,236,859 Israelis received their first vaccine shot, of whom 1,855,071 have also got the second dose.
Read more at Times of Israel.
{Matzav.com}
