Israel's world-leading COVID-19 inoculation drive was expanded to include citizens aged 50 and over on Wednesday, however, the vaccine is still not available to citizens who are housebound, numbering about 115,000 people, including many Holocaust survivors.
Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Asch told the Ynet studio on Thursday that the distribution apparatus for citizens who cannot leave their homes is still being formed, taking into account the demanding logistical requirements of the vaccine's transportation.
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Senior citizen receives COVID-19 vaccine at an assisted living facility; (Left, sitting) coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Asch
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Meanwhile, worried family members say that health authorities struggle to provide answers for their relatives, who are of frail health.
"My mother is a nursing patient that cannot walk and moves around in a wheelchair," said Rivka Brauner, daughter of 93-year-old Aliza Goldberg - a Holocaust survivor who requires full nursing care. "There are two centers that are accessible for wheelchairs, but when I contacted them, they said they do not vaccinate there. I understand that it is difficult to get the vaccine to citizen's homes, but why can't they set aside some doses for housebound patients and give it to their healthcare providers?"
Brauner said that although her mother was hospitalized recently, the staff refused to vaccinate her.
"She was hospitalized for five days and I asked [staff] to vaccinate her, they replied that it went against the hospital's orders. It's unclear to me why they don't resolve this."
Zehava Snyder, the daughter of 90-year-old Bat Sheva Katushevky, protested the Health Ministry's decision on Monday to earmark the first shipment of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for the military instead of housebound patients.
"I'm furious. She has been paying her healthcare provider her entire life, so why isn't anybody taking care of her? Why do I have to beg for someone to give her the shot? They are being ignored because they don't have a voice," Snyder said.
Ministry officials decided to redirect 100,000 doses of the shot - which is easier to distribute than Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine thanks to less demanding logistical requirements.