Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) For the longest time, Israel was held as the model around the world on how to launch a #COVID19 vaccination campaign effectively. But that campaign appears to be stalling and hospitalizations there are now rising. In this thread, I'll compare Israel with Quebec's approach.

2) Compared with many other jurisdictions — Quebec included — Israel was the first out of the gate to conduct mass vaccination in the #pandemic. It has also proceeded with a 4th dose for those over the age of 60, while many countries are still struggling to administer 3rd doses.

3) Yet the percentage of Israelis who are considered adequately vaccinated has plunged in the last few months. Today, it's in Cuba where most people are adequately vaccinated. Israel is now in 23rd place and Canada has surpassed Israel to place in 17th spot. See the chart below.

4) According to the reliable website covid19tracker.ca, 78.33% of Canada’s population above the age of 5 has received two doses. In Quebec, that rate is even higher, 83%. That compares with 67.1% in Israel. Please consult the chart below.

5) This suggests that when the much more contagious Omicron variant collided with an apparently stalled Israeli vaccination campaign, a spike in #COVID hospitalizations ultimately ensued. Please take a look at the chart below complied by Our World in Data.

6) What are the reasons for Israel's stalled vaccination? Michael Head, a University of Southhampton researcher, suggests that “hesitancy or access to health care may (be) an issue. For example, there’s evidence of uptake being lower among Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups.”

7) Quebec is now trying to reach the 540,000 adult vaccine holdouts remaining. Still, some signs are emerging that #COVID hospitalizations in the fifth wave may have peaked here, even though the province’s health network is falling apart. Please see the chart below by La Presse.

8) And despite the fact that Quebec declared 56 more deaths on Tuesday, there are also signs that the mortality wave may have peaked, too. This suggests that it’s Quebec’s vaccination campaign — much more than the unpopular curfew — that has made the real difference. See below.

9) However, this apparent progress is on very shaky ground for several reasons. Reopened schools are now observing many new #COVID outbreaks, the coronavirus keeps outwitting humans as it mutates and Quebec’s health network has collapsed. montrealgazette.com/news/local-new…

10) What’s more, despite Quebec’s vaccination progress, it was slow to give seniors in the community third doses, triggering a 5th wave of deaths that has surpassed the one last January and that has raised the province’s cumulative death toll to 13,065.

11) If there’s a lesson to draw here — as anti-vax truckers from across Canada converge on Ottawa — it's that the triumph of science and modern medicine, which is known as vaccination, actually works and saves lives. End of thread. Please go get your shot.