Israel is leading globally in the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people.
As at December 30, Israel is far ahead of the other countries listed on the chart with 9.18 doses per 100 people, according to data posted by Our World in Data has reported.
Bahrain is second with 3.37, Iceland with 1.43, and UK with 1.18 while US is in fifth place with 0.84.
More than 1.8 million people have now died of the virus around the world.
The government has hit its goal of at least 150,000 vaccinations a day for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel’s vaccination drive began on December 20 and is focused on medical and healthcare workers, at-risk groups, and people over 60. Teachers are also said to be prioritized for vaccination from the start of next week.
Meanwhile, Israel is in the midst of its third nationwide lockdown. The Health Ministry reported some 5,250 daily infections on Wednesday, among the highest daily number in Coronavirus cases since the start of October.
While the third lockdown continues, many small businesses and restaurants, hard hit by the pandemic, have broken the rules this time around, allowing takeout orders and selling products that are not essential items, according to Haaretz.
One of the most controversial decisions of this third lockdown is the government’s ban on takeout and curbside pickup from restaurants and stores because they are worried about the crowds outside the businesses.
These businesses are allowed delivery only.
The US fell far short of its target of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020, with just 2.78 million having received a jab by 30 December.
Meanwhile, the US government’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, has said he does not agree with UK plans to give as many people a first vaccine dose, while delaying second doses.
However, India has approved two vaccines for emergency use – the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and the Covaxin vaccine, developed locally by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.
