The head of Israel's doctors' union on Thursday called to vaccinate at-risk population against coronavirus before medical workers, directly contradicting the position of the Health Ministry.
The ministry on Wednesday published a list of who will be inoculated first, with health workers appearing to get the top priority. The first to receive the vaccines will be members of the medical staff at hospitals followed by HMOs and private health clinics.
"If we'll vaccinate the population at the highest risk, like retirement home tenants and the elderly, it won't stop the pandemic, but it will surely prevent significant casualties in the immediate future," Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, Prof. Hagai Levine, told Ynet.
"We must focus on the most vulnerable group that could die from coronavirus. We don't even know how many vaccines arrived in Israel and how many more will arrive next week, so we can't make an informed decision about which groups to prioritize."
Prof. Levin also said he believed Israel could avoid a third general lockdown if the government tightens existing coronavirus restrictions.
"We must make the right decisions, we need balance which Israel lacks right now. You do not need travel restrictions, but restrictions on trade and gatherings to stop the rise in serious illness. In our view as public health professionals, a lockdown is out of the question," he said.
"We are constantly looking at the number of cases, but that is wrong, certainly when the vaccines are already here. Our goal is to save lives - not prevent infections."
Levin also expressed his frustration at the government's lack of transparency in the handling of the pandemic which hurts the public's trust in the vaccine.
He hailed Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine as efficient and safe after passing a rigorous regulatory process by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Health Ministry.