Israeli officials share vaccination rollout strategy including addressing vaccine hesitancy and formulating a “blueprint for return to normalcy”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — With vaccine rollout in its early stages in the Caribbean and countries still battling COVID-19, which has severely affected the local population both health-wise and economically, the Israeli Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health organized a briefing this past Thursday for health officials from Caribbean Community member states, CARICOM and CARPHA.
The core objective was to share knowledge and lessons learned by the Israeli health authorities and health maintenance organizations (HMO) during Israel’s successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
The ministers of health of both The Bahamas and Grenada attended the virtual function.
Yosef Levi Sfari, director of the Department for Central America and the Caribbean in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening remarks and welcomed the opportunity to hold a first-of-its-kind briefing by Israel to the Caribbean nations.
Levi Sfari stressed the importance of information sharing.
“The COVID-19 pandemic affected the whole world… We in Israel do not have a manual; in some cases we inspired others, but in some cases we made mistakes. We are happy to share the knowledge and welcome any collaboration with CARICOM and CARPHA,” he said.
Dr Douglas Slater, assistant secretary general, Human and Social Development, CARICOM, thanked the Israeli authorities for the briefing and stated that Israel’s significant knowledge and experience in vaccination rollout can benefit the CARICOM region as they embark on their own vaccination journey.
Furthermore, he underscored the importance of advancing a comprehensive vaccination campaign in the Caribbean nations, especially as vaccine hesitancy has proved to be a true challenge in the region.
Carlton Kirton, communications manager at CARPHA, speaking on behalf of CARPHA Executive Director Dr Joy St John, stated that access to quality and safe vaccines is critical to sustain small economies and expressed her confidence that through learning best practices from other nations, the Caribbean can win the fight against COVID-19.
Following the remarks, a professional briefing was presented by Adam Cutler, deputy director for International Relations and Media at the Israeli Ministry of Health, and Dr Arnon Shahar, head of the COVID-19 response team in Maccabi Health Care Services (the second largest HMO in Israel).
The briefing focused, amongst others, on: key principles of the Israeli vaccination rollout strategy; specific challenges, operation and logistics guidelines; supply chain and distribution channels; key medical findings that have been identified throughout the vaccine campaign; lessons learned; national strategy with regard to vaccine hesitancy; and the Israeli blueprint for return to normalcy.
The briefing, which received positive feedback from the various stakeholders, serves an example and a reminder of the importance of cross-border collaboration in a time of grave shared challenges.
The Embassy of Israel in Panama will continue to promote the official contact with CARICOM and its institutions. Alongside the other Embassies of Israel accredited to CARICOM’s member states, it will foster cooperation with this important regional organization.
