Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced optimism Monday that the coronavirus pandemic in Israel could ease soon, after drug maker Moderna announced its vaccine had shown promising signs.
"This is great news for Israel," Netanyahu said shortly after the results were released. "Already in June I, along with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, instructed that an agreement be signed with Moderna for the supply of vaccines. Today, Moderna informed us that its vaccine has an efficacy of 94.5%."
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Netanyahu said that his goal is "to bring as many vaccines as possible, from as many sources as possible, to as many citizens as possible – and as soon as possible."
Moderna's announcement comes just days after Pfizer declared that testing results for its vaccine have also shown very high efficacy: over 90%.
Last week Israel signed an agreement with Pfizer that would guarantee Israel would be among the first countries to receive the vaccine once it is developed and approved. Netanyahu said that it will start arriving in Israel as early as January 2021.
The vaccines are different in terms of their storage requirements. The Pfizer vials would require storage at much colder temperatures, which could complicate their shipment to Israel.
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