Clutching walking sticks, resting in wheelchairs or sitting on plastic chairs, Israeli retirees are lining up to join their country’s record-breaking coronavirus vaccination drive.
“I want to see my grandchildren,” said 90-year-old Boris Einbinder, shortly after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Resting beside his wife Mara in Pisgat Ze'ev, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem, Mr Einbinder said since March they have only seen their six grandchildren from the balcony of their home.
The elderly couple are among nearly 1.4 million Israelis to have received the vaccine so far, accounting for around 15 per cent of the population and far surpassing any other nation.
At the Pisgat Ze’ev assisted living community, paramedics from Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services set up their temporary clinic in a room which doubles as a bomb shelter. “Some people ask me how the vaccine is, if it’s ok,” said Fadi Dekaidek, an MDA paramedic who has worked on the public inoculation drive since it started last month.
“When they hear what I say, they accept taking the vaccine,” he added, putting the early success of the programme down to good governance.
Israel’s health ministry is in charge of the overall operation and sends MDA to care homes, while the emergency services also administer vaccines at some clinics.
The government has prioritised healthcare workers and the over-60s to receive the shot, but to minimise waste some leftover doses are being offered to the general public at the end of the day.
Like Israeli citizens, Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are entitled to receive the vaccine through their health insurance. Clinics in Palestinian neighbourhoods are administering vaccines, without the involvement of the emergency services.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted on Tuesday that Israel was vaccinating its population “at a pace that is arousing the wonder of the entire world,” the situation is starkly different in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank including most cities, is yet to receive any doses.
It has applied to join Covax, a scheme backed by the World Health Organisation which will distribute vaccines to cash-strapped governments for 20 per cent of their population.
"The vaccine is expected to arrive at the end of February, beginning of March," Yaser Bozya, the PA's public health director, told The National.
The Palestinian health ministry is also awaiting a response from the makers of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, Mr Bozya said, which could potentially be rolled out to the wider Palestinian public.
Israel has been criticised for vaccinating their citizens living in West Bank settlements, while providing no such services to Palestinians living in areas either under full Israeli military rule or those governed by the PA.
In a joint statement last month, organisations including Amnesty International and Physicians for Human Rights Israel urged the authorities to “live up to their legal obligations and ensure that quality vaccines be provided to Palestinians”.
The Israeli health ministry did not respond to repeated requests to comment on why it would not provide vaccines to three million Palestinians in the West Bank, or two million Gazans who have lived under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
While the PA and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, lack the funds to buy up stocks of the Pfizer shot, an Israeli health ministry official told local media his government had paid $62 per dose.
The figure shows Israel bought its initial eight million doses at a far higher cost than the European Union, which paid around $19 per shot according to a Reuters report.
The ability of countries such as Israel to buy up vaccine stocks has exposed vast global health inequalities, which could have a negative impact on the world’s ability to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
“Even if you see beyond the justice and fairness aspects, I think it’s important from an infectious disease control perspective,” said Anna Mia Ekström, a clinical professor at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
“Because if the virus continues to circulate around the world, we can’t really stop this pandemic,” added the professor, a specialist in infectious disease epidemiology.
Further border closures, limits to international trade and new coronavirus variants are all possible if vaccines are not evenly distributed.
“At national levels, political leaders want to show their constituencies they are acting decisively,” said Ms Ekström. “It’s very short-sighted and quite egoistic to not try to act globally.”
While Mr Netanyahu has celebrated being “first in the world in vaccinations," Israel is planning on slowing down its programme to avoid running out of doses.
“We’ve been vaccinating a lot faster than we were expecting,” said Uriel Goldberg, an MDA spokesman, estimating the majority of Israelis would be vaccinated within a few months.
In the meantime, Israelis are living under a third nationwide lockdown and the government is due to discuss tightening measures this week as coronavirus cases rise.
In Pisgat Ze'ev, the elderly residents thanked medics after receiving their jab and will be back in three weeks to get their second and final dose.
“In a few months, the challenge will be those who don’t want to be vaccinated,” said Mr Goldberg.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
