Vaccines are being distributed around the world to protect people from the COVID-19 virus and its variants. Massachusetts is rolling out its own system for vaccinations.
Countries such as Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, the United Kingdom and the United States are leading in COVID-19 vaccination rates, as they have the highest rate of vaccinations per 100 people, according to Our World in Data.
Israel currently holds the highest vaccination rate in the world. The country has vaccinated 65.8 per 100 of its residents; which is approximately five times as many residents as the U.S. has currently vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.
The Israel Health Ministry aims for Israel to return to everyday life by mid-March of 2021, according to NBC.
A member of Israel’s Health Ministry advised the U.S. on how to obtain a vaccination rate similar to theirs.
“It’s a race, and be quick. Try to vaccinate as many people as you can as soon as you can, ” Dr. Boaz Lev, chief physician for Maccabi Healthcare Services, said in an interview with NBC.
President Joe Biden has set a goal for vaccinating 100 million people within the first 100 days of his presidency.
“This will be one of the most difficult operational challenges we’ve ever undertaken as a nation. I’ve said that before, but I must say it again because we’re going to do — we’re going to do everything we can to get it done,” Biden said in an official statement from The White House. “But a lot of things can go wrong along the way.”
Each state in the U.S. has different procedures in place for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Massachusetts, for example, has certain requirements in place for people to follow in which they are eligible to obtain the vaccine, according to the state’s website.
Individuals who are eligible to get vaccinated in the current phase can schedule an appointment at major vaccination sites, such as Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Fenway Park in Boston and the Eastfield Mall in Springfield. The appointments are released every week on Thursdays, according to the Massachusetts Government Website.
Suffolk University Professor Dr. Rachel Cobb spoke about her knowledge of the U.S. vaccine administration plan last Friday via Zoom. Cobb is an associate professor and chair of Suffolk’s political science and legal studies department.
“So far, there have been some significant hiccups. So far, it has not been smooth and very different from other times in American history when we have had massive mobilization,” Cobb said, referencing the distribution of the polio vaccine post World War II.
She spoke about how specific states have been approaching this process.
“The states were put in charge of the vaccine rollout, and were allowed to do what they saw fit. They’ve had different prioritized groups that they are allowing to [get vaccinated first],” said Cobb.
Massachusetts and other states in the nation require the public to make appointments in order to receive the vaccine. However, this isn’t the case elsewhere in the world. In the United Arab Emirates, no appointment is needed to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The United Arab Emirates vaccination program offers free, on the spot vaccinations to any adult resident or citizen at many locations, according to The Wall Street Journal.
