Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2021 Jan 26;10(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/s13584-021-00441-5.

What can we learn from Israel's rapid roll out of COVID 19 vaccination?

Martin McKee  1 , Selina Rajan  2
Affiliations
Comment

What can we learn from Israel's rapid roll out of COVID 19 vaccination?

Martin McKee et al. Isr J Health Policy Res. .

Abstract

Israel has led the world in rolling out its COVID-19 vaccination program. This experience provides lessons that others can learn from. It is, however, necessary to consider some national specificities, including the small size of the country, its young population, and the political imperative to drive this program forward. Israel also has a number of other advantages, including a strong public health infrastructure. The lessons that can be learnt include the importance of coordinating delivery mechanisms with the inevitable prioritisation of groups within the population, timely deployment of a skilled cadre of health workers, a recognition that not everyone in the population shares in the benefits of digital connectedness, the need to reach out to disadvantaged groups, based on an understanding of the barriers that they face, and the importance of placing COVID-19 vaccination within a comprehensive response to the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Governance; Israel; Vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

MM is a member of Independent SAGE, an independent group providing guidance on the COVID-19 response in the UK.

Comment on

References

    1. Srivastava M. Healthcare sector praises government’s flexible approach to rollout of jab. London: Financial Times; 2021. Available from: https://www.ft.com/content/0b2760a6-a571-4f49-bec3-0b138e6ce9b7
    1. Rosen B, Waitzberg R, Israeli A. Israel’s rapid rollout of vaccinations for COVID-19; 2021: 10.1186/s13584-021-00440-6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Siciliani L, Wild C, McKee M, Kringos D, Barry MM, Barros PP, et al. Strengthening vaccination programmes and health systems in the European Union: framework for action. Health Policy. 2020;124(5):511–518. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.02.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. UK Department of Health and Social Care . UK COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan. 2021.
    1. Jaffe-Hoffman M. Could Pfizer save Israel and Netanyahu at the same time?: Jerusalem Post. 2021.