There are some 1.8 million Israelis over the age of 12 who are eligible for a coronavirus vaccine but have refused to take it, according to Health Ministry data.
We have had very little stability over the past year and a half of the pandemic, but this figure hasn't budged in the slightest despite rising vaccination rates and rousing speeches — a fact we all must be aware of.
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A man receives his third coronavirus vaccine shot at a clinic in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Unless coronavirus hospitalizations miraculously come to a screeching halt over the coming two weeks thanks to the booster shot campaign, those 1.8 million people will send us straight into a fourth lockdown, and it'll be harsher and more devastating than the previous three.
Doctors working at coronavirus wards who had to care for unvaccinated persons who became seriously ill from the virus talk all the time about the regret the patients' families feel.
But despite the personal pain, concerns and even fear of the vaccine, the decision to not get immunized until now — other than for medical reasons — will eventually hurt us all.
The more people get vaccinated, the fewer people become infected, but most importantly — serious cases will rise at a much lower rate which especially troubles health officials right now.
The ongoing fear that Israel's health system will not manage to cope with an influx of patients, even if such a scenario is still far off, could be the deciding factor in whether go into lockdown or not — separating families again, forcing us into lonely and painful holiday dinners.
Either way, one thing is abundantly clear: fiery speeches by politicians do not bring people to vaccination centers.
Despite the rate of unvaccinated being highest among 12–16-year-olds and the Bedouin and Arab sectors, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz's genuine effort to raise inoculation rates stops the moment they leave the podium.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during a visit to a vaccination center in Holon
(Photo: Reuters)
They keep labeling the unvaccinated public enemies, but in reality, do next to nothing else to persuade them to take the jab.
The government's ongoing attempts to raise awareness of the issue have fallen flat and did not have the desired effect.
The Health Ministry chooses to boast about the number of Israelis who have been vaccinated, which is without a doubt a remarkable achievement, but now we get to the tricky part — how do we crack the tough vaccine hesitancy nut and get more shots into arms, wherewith sparing the general public and the economy another crushing lockdown?
As daunting as this task may seem, it's definitely not impossible.