Health Minister Yuli Edelstein at committee meeting
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein at committee meetingDanny Shemtov, Knesset spokesman

On Wednesday morning, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, along with senior figures from the Health Ministry, attended a meeting of the Knesset’s Labor, Welfare, & Health committee, in order to present the committee’s members with an overview of the government’s coronavirus vaccination program, due to commence next week.

“I am absolutely confident in the safety of the vaccines,” Edelstein said. “They have been tested in every possible way. Furthermore, just yesterday, a person whom I admire immensely – Rabbi Elimelech Firer – issued a statement in the name of many prominent rabbis, calling for people to be vaccinated.”

Edelstein added that, “The majority of doctors with whom I have spoken agree with me and are satisfied that the vaccines being marketed are safe. With regard to the preparations for the vaccination program, the logistics behind it, prioritization, and the readiness of the health funds to administer the doses, I am completely satisfied that things are proceeding exactly as they should.”

Turning to the contentious topic of vaccine refusal, Edelstein referred to MK Eli Avidar of the Yisrael Beytenu party, who has called for people to refuse to be vaccinated, and said that, “My main challenge now is to combat the fake news that has been disseminated over the past few weeks and continues to be spread. Over the course of the year, I have seen all sorts of people, including Knesset members, spreading fake news on the ‘dangers of vaccines,’ and calling on people not to be vaccinated. These people don’t have an ounce of responsibility – nor do they have a conscience, it seems.

“If you don’t want to be vaccinated, then don’t get vaccinated,” Edelstein said. “But don’t attempt to enter a field that you don’t properly understand, and don’t spread these dangerous views among the general public. You could end up causing someone who listens to your garbage to take your advice, avoid getting vaccinated, and die of coronavirus.”

Edelstein then promised the committee that, “We will release all the data to you, and we will also monitor every single person who is vaccinated to make sure they’re okay. Our four health funds are ready for this program, which is officially due to commence on December 27 but may actually end up starting even earlier than that. As early as next week, medical personnel will begin vaccinating people in hospital settings, followed by a program for the general public. And we are not giving Israeli citizens any vaccine in which we do not have one hundred percent confidence.”