Israel’s ultra-Orthodox slow to get shots
BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) — Yossi Levy has repeatedly booked and canceled his coronavirus vaccine appointment. The 45-year-old ultra-Orthodox Jew recovered from the virus earlier this year, as have his eight children and wife. But a combination of lethargy and procrastination has prevented him from following through and getting inoculated.
"It isn't something pressing. I'm not opposed to it. It's just laziness," he said.
Levy is among the hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who have yet to receive their Covid19 shots. The group has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country despite being hit hard by the pandemic.
Facing the new coronavirus variant omicron, officials are now scrambling to ramp up vaccination rates in a population that has so far been slow to roll up their sleeves. community.
"We are going on the offensive The vaccination rate is low in with the issue of vaccinations," said part because half of the ultraOrthodox Avraham Rubinstein, the mayor of population is under 16 Bnei Brak, the country's largest and only recently made eligible for ultra-Orthodox city. vaccination. Also, many ultraOrthodox
It has been one year since were already infected or Covid-19 vaccines became believe they were and don't think available, yet vaccine reluctance they need the vaccine. persists even as deaths mount and The outreach effort has had the highly contagious omicron mixed success. Officials hope to variant spreads around the globe. raise the vaccination rate with a An unconventional cadre of people new mobile-clinic campaign at has stepped up to promote religious schools and a media blitz vaccination with efforts that stepping up pressure on parents to traditionally have been the realm of vaccinate children. public health officials. Israel was one of the first
Israeli officials have appealed to countries to vaccinate its the community's prominent population late last year and the rabbis, who serve as arbiters on all first to give booster shots. But the matters, to promote vaccination. campaign has lagged in recent They are deploying mobile clinics. weeks and hundreds of thousands And they are beating back a wave of of people remain unvaccinated or lies about the vaccine that has without a booster as the specter of washed over parts of the* an omicron surge looms.