Netanyahu says he will be first Israeli to receive Pfizer coronavirus jab

Netanyahu says he will be first Israeli to receive Pfizer coronavirus jab
The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has already been rolled out in the UK.
2 min read
09 December, 2020
Netanyahu pledged to be the first Israeli to try out the new vaccine [Getty]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will become the first person in the country to be given the Pfizer coronavirus jab.

Netanyahu said that he would demonstrate to Israelis the safety of the vaccine, despite it having already being rolled out in the UK.

"I believe in this vaccine, I expect it to get the necessary approvals in the next few days," he said, according to Bloomberg.

"I want the citizens of Israel to be vaccinated, and in order to do that, I want to serve as an example to them, and I plan to be the first inoculated with the vaccine in Israel."

Analysts view Netanyahu's attempts to obtain the vaccine as an attempt to boost his credentials ahead of possible new elections.

Read also: Leading Israeli official forms new right-wing party to rival Netanyahu's Likud

The first vaccine shipment arrived in Israel on Wednesday with the prime minister pledging to buy millions of shots to deal with the coronavirus crisis in the country.
It is not clear whether Israel would provide the vaccine to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

The EU has pledged to help the Palestinians obtain the vaccine, which faces a myriad of supply issues and a shortage of funds.

Coronavirus cases and deaths from the disease are rising in Israel, while the country's economy has also suffered from two lockdowns.

Israel has seen 348,000 cases of coronavirus and 2,932 deaths.

The country is set to head to the polls again, after the opposition took the first steps towards dissolving parliament.


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