Pathfinder-COVID Watch webinar on success strategies of Israel today

Dr. Asher Salmon

Professor Dr. Saroj Jayasinghe

Dr. Samitha Ginige

Adam Cutler

A webinar on the successful COVID-19 vaccination strategies adopted by Israel will be hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation, from 3-4 pm IST today, 17 March. 

The virtual event will be moderated by Dr. Saroj Jayasinghe, Consultant Physician and former Professor of Medicine at the University of Colombo, whilst Dr. Asher Salmon, Divisional Head – International Relations, Ministry of Health, Israel; Adam Cutler, Deputy Division Director – Public Diplomacy and International Relations, Ministry of Health, Israel and Dr. Samitha Ginige, Deputy Epidemiologist, Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka will constitute the panel of speakers.

The Pathfinder Foundation decided to conduct this focused discussion due to the notable success of Israel’s battle with COVID-19 mainly as a result of its efficient rollout of the vaccine.

Israel began vaccinating its population on 19 December after it secured supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine following negotiations early on in the pandemic, and its strategy of vaccinating its population against COVID-19 earlier than other nations showed promising results. 

Preliminary data released by various agencies has offered a glimpse into how effectively it has been able to protect those vulnerable to the contagious virus by speeding up access to a vaccine. Israel had administered vaccinations to more than one million people by January this year, approx. 150,000 people a day, with priority given to the over-60s, health workers and people who are clinically vulnerable. 

According to most recent data, Israel is leading in worldwide vaccine administration with 8.21 million doses given with 3.44 million (38% of its population) fully vaccinated.

This is the second discussion organised under the Pathfinder-COVID Watch webinar series, with the first being held in May 2020, where experiences of combatting COVID in China and Sri Lanka were shared.

The strategy used by Israel to vaccinate a large proportion of its population will be the main focus of the Pathfinder-COVID Watch webinar on 17 March, which is open to the public and can be accessed at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wYpjYG-pRzWOq9j4A8Nq7Q or https://www.facebook.com/pathfinderfoundation.