Bennett instructs health funds to help get Arab Israelis vaccinated

• Author: MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
• Published date: 29 September 2021

The prime minister also said that he is unlikely to roll out any new restrictions, even if health professionals believe they are necessary.

Bennett spoke to the heads of Maccabi, Meuhedet, Clalit and Leumit Health Services on Wednesday morning, together with Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash, coronavirus commissioner Prof. Salman Zarka and Home Front Command head Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin. He was briefed on the situation from their perspective and told to work toward increasing the volume of people getting vaccinated each day.

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There has been a decline in the number of inoculations in Israel, perhaps because of the Sukkot holiday.

But vaccination is specifically low among the Arab population across the country, which has led to a spike in morbidity among Arab Israelis. According to a report shared by N12, the rate of positive cases in the Arab population is 2.5 times that of the general society.

As Bennett boarded the plane in New York to return to Israel, he told journalists that the 40 localities with the highest rate of morbidity are in Arab society and that unvaccinated patients comprise more than 90% of serious cases in Israel's hospitals.

"Despite the pressures, we will at this stage refrain from imposing restrictions on the entire population," Bennett said. "Cancelling a Shlomo Artzi concert in Rishon Lezion or a wedding in Modi'in will not help the residents of Tayibe or Umm al-Fahm."

The No. 1 reason why Arabs are not getting vaccinated is that they are afraid of vaccine side effects, the report said.

Bennett had been briefed about the situation in the Arab community before his travels to the US for the United Nations General Assembly, and reportedly formulated a plan, together with the coronavirus commissioner for the Arab community Ayman Saif and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, to work with Muslim faith leaders to reach these people and get them their first, second or third shots.

The plan included establishing vaccine complexes in every red Arab city (there are about 60 of them) and appointing a state-funded coronavirus commissioner for each of these cities who will help to set vaccination targets for them. The commissioner will also work with primary care physicians to encourage them to talk to their patients about getting vaccinated.

Bennett touted Israel's...