Photos courtesy of Agrostudies
The State of Israel has become a world leader in COVID-19 vaccination. With a population of 9.3 million, Israel has already vaccinated 5.2 million people, more than a half of its population, with at least one dose. 4.2 million People have received both shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
As part of the successful vaccination campaign, Israel’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has vaccinated for free anyone who is in Israel, regardless of their citizenship status or whether or not they have insurance.
Approximately 30,000 Filipino caregivers, 400 Agriculture students, and the staff of the Philippine embassy in Israel have received the free Pfizer vaccine. Filipinos with expired working permits were also given free vaccine shots.
“Israel is thankful for the Filipino caregivers for helping the elderly and the disabled Israeli citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak. For many years, the Israeli government has been providing the Filipino caregivers with full access to the advanced medical services of our country,” Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Rafael Harpaz said. “The free access to COVID-19 vaccine is another way of thanking them and ensuring their health and safety,” Ambassador Harpaz added.
Ambassador Harpaz also cited the historic visit of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to Israel in 2018 where the government of Israel signed an agreement with the Philippine government to regulate the working conditions of the Filipinos in their country. “Israel always took good care of the Filipino caregivers, and especially during this pandemic,” Ambassador Harpaz explained.
A year since the outbreak of the pandemic, Israel has granted significant assistance to the Philippines to help its fight against COVID-19. The Israeli government turned over several donations consisting of personal protective equipment to the Department of National Defense and the Philippine National Police for use of their frontliners. Education equipment was donated to the Department of Education to aid distance learning. Israel also continues to share its experience and knowledge in emergency and pandemic response with the Philippines through webinars, courses, and joint meetings.
