Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein met at the Health Ministry coronavirus control center today with health maintenance organization directors in order to closely monitor the HMOs' readiness to distribute anti-coronavirus vaccines to the citizens of Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: "Yesterday I was asked by a journalist 'Why are we carrying out the operation to give vaccines via the HMOs?' I answered that the HMOs are a unique structure in the State of Israel that gives us amazing results vis-à-vis life expectancy and the prevalence of diseases – almost the highest in the world regarding the overall results, at a relatively low cost to GDP. This format is also good in that it gives us the organizational and logistical ability – of course – to give vaccines to the general population."
"We believe in you. I have heard about the important work you have done. Our intention is to give 60,000 vaccines a day, this is the number that was mentioned yesterday, starting on the 27th of the month. These are tough, but achievable, goals. We are relying on you."
Health Minister Edelstein said: "You are the general staff for the vaccines operation. From my point-of-view, each one of you is the general officer in charge of his HMO. We are managing a battle here against a microscopic, invisible enemy and we are close to defeating even it. There is no better deployment than that of the HMOs. They prove year after year their efficiency in giving flu vaccinations."