The first Israelis to be injected with the country’s coronavirus vaccine candidate have been injected, according to Hadassah-University Medical Center at Ein Kerem and Sheba Medical Center.Anar Ottolenghi, 34, a resident of Moshav Tlalim in southern Israel, was vaccinated at Hadassah and Segev Harel, 26, from Kfar Yonah at Sheba.“I feel good, excited,” Ottolenghi said. “I want to encourage as many people to join the experiment and help the entire public.”The Hadassah volunteer is a doctoral student in immunology at Ben-Gurion University.
Anar Ottolenghi, 34, becomes one of the first Israelis to trial the coronavirus vaccine, Hadassah Ein Kerem, November 1, 2020 (Credit: Oren Ben Hakoon/Pool)In an interview with Ynet last week, Harel said he is participating in the trial because “there is a global pandemic that is disabling life and I have a chance to help. I am a young and healthy guy and I think [people like me] need to help, so we can get over this. If that’s the least I can give to get rid of this virus, then why not?””The only way for us to exit the lockdown is the development of a vaccine,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a briefing following the first vaccination. “Today is a very important day. A 36-year-old is the first volunteer. He received the vaccine, and we wish him luck – to him and to the others – so soon we will have an Israeli vaccine.”Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said that today is “a day of optimism and caution.” He reminded the public that the journey from Phase I to Phase III of the human trials was long and “we need to have some patience.”But Gantz also used the opportunity to call on the prime minister to pass a budget. He said that while the government was working together for Israel’s security and health, it must also ensure its economic stability. He said that “Segev’s last words to me before he was injected were ‘I came here to tell you to help us. I have been in and out of three jobs since the start of the crisis.’ He said to me that the country must have an economic plan.” Gantz’s words came on the first day of the second stage of Israel’s exit strategy in which synagogues and schools opened but small business and street shops remained closed. “It is easy to ask why the grass greener is on the other side,” Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said. “Against this, there is no vaccine.” But he said the decisions at the coronavirus cabinet must be solely based on wisdom, rather than populism so that the country does not end up again where it was in May. The vaccine was developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research and is called “Brilife.”Sunday marks the start of the Phase I human trial, which will be conducted on 80 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55. Each volunteer will be monitored over the course of three weeks to determine if there are any side effects caused by the vaccine. Researchers will also examine whether volunteers develop antibodies to the coronavirus, which leads to immunity.When Phase I is completed, if successful, Phase II will commence.Dr. Dror Harats, vice president of clinical development and research at Sheba, said he is confident in the safety of the vaccine and that “we did everything we need to, to ensure that these volunteers will not be harmed.” Source
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