President Reuven Rivlin, 81, received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center on Sunday and called on the public to follow suit.
"We're all on the same boat," Rivlin said. "When you will go out to get vaccinated, you will be safeguarding not only your own health, but the health of all those around you as well and you will be helping to put life back on track. Help move the wheels of the economy and alleviate the enormous burden of our dear medical staff, the true heroines and heroes of this severe crisis."
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Nurse Havah Gardner administers Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to President Reuven Rivlin
(Photo: GPO)
Nurse Havah Gardner administered the vaccine to Rivlin who, in turn, thanked nursing teams nationwide.
"It seems like you can’t stress this enough. Thanks for the long hours, the effort and caring. Israeli society is heavily indebted to you. The responsibility lies in us, and we must listen to you and provide you with adequate conditions to protect you, just like you protected and will keep protecting us and our health."
Rivlin closed off his remarks by appealing to citizens fearing to get the vaccine.
"I know that there are quite a few among the Israeli public who have concerns and doubts about the long-awaited vaccines. These are legitimate concerns, but it is important to remember that the vaccine doses that arrive in Israel have undergone a rigorous testing process, passed stringent tests, and finally received approval from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Health," Rivlin said. "These are serious institutions that regard human life, reliability and precision highly and can be trusted."
"For many months now, the whole world, and we here in Israel, have been going through a long and difficult crisis. In addition to the precious lives we lost in the raging epidemic, over 3,000 people, the social distancing guidelines led to severe economic damage, and disrupted the fabric of our lives."