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| Israel leads the vaccination race with 12% of the vaccine |
Israel has given Coronavirus vaccines to more than one million people, the highest in the world, as global immunization efforts intensify.
Israel has an average of 11.55 vaccination doses per 100 people, followed by Bahrain with 3.49 and the United Kingdom with 1.47, according to the University of Oxford's global tracking website.
By comparison, France had vaccinated 138 people in total by December 30.
More than 1.8 million people have died so far from the virus worldwide.
Immunization comparison figures are compiled by Our World in Data, a collaboration between Oxford and a UK-based educational charity.
They measure how many people have received the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine. Most of the vaccines approved for use so far are based on two doses, more than a week apart.
The United States has fallen short of its goal of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020, with only 2.78 million receiving injections by December 30.
Meanwhile, India is conducting training exercises to roll out the vaccine, ahead of the expected approval by the national regulatory body next week.
Why did Israel advance this far?
Israel began vaccination operations on December 19, and is delivering vaccines to about 150,000 people daily, with priority given to those over the 60s, health workers and people at clinical risk.
It acquired supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after negotiations early in the pandemic. It contacts people who have priority getting vaccinated through its healthcare system - by law, all Israelis must register with a recognized healthcare provider.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein told the YNet TV news site that Israel has safely split Pfizer vaccine shipments, which must be stored at -70 ° C. This means that smaller batches of vaccine can be sent to remote communities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is campaigning for re-election, has predicted that Israel may emerge from the epidemic as early as February. It is currently in its third national lockdown.
India plans to "start vaccination against Corona virus in January"
India is conducting a national exercise for its vaccination program, which aims to reach 300 million people by the middle of the year.
It will be based on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now recommended by a government committee. The Oxford vaccine does not require the same storage at extremely low temperatures as the Pfizer vaccine, which makes it suitable for distribution in areas without high-end healthcare facilities.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is known as Covishield in India, as it is manufactured by the Serum Institute in India. Another vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech, is awaiting approval.
Covid-19 has already claimed nearly 150,000 lives in India, with nearly 10 million people infected - second only to the number of infected people in the United States.
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