Passing 4 million mark, two-thirds of eligible Israelis have now received at least 1 COVID vaccine dose

Four million Israelis, or some 44 percent of the total population, have now received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Channel 12 News reports, citing the latest Health Ministry data.

The latest data is not yet available on the ministry’s website, which shows the numbers at some 3.99 million, but those figures are only updated at the end of the day.

There now remain some 1,996,000 eligible Israelis who have not yet received any dose. This means some two-thirds of the eligible population has at least begun the vaccination process.

Meanwhile, about 2.6 million have received both doses — or some 43% of the eligible population.

Some 3 million Israelis are not eligible — either because they are under 16, or because they have recovered from the illness and are not currently prioritized, or for other reasons.

To celebrate the latest milestone, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein hold a photo op in Jerusalem with a young man symbolically designated as Israel’s 4th million vaccinee.

“I would like to appeal from here to the 570,000 people over 50 who have yet to be vaccinated. Almost 100% of the deaths and severe cases are concentrated in this group,” Netanyahu says.

“When you do not go to be vaccinated because of this small jab, which is insignificant — in the worst case the side effects are a few hours’ discomfort — you take upon yourselves the risks of death and severe illness with effects that could be for life.”