Despite the increase in demand for the coronavirus vaccine, it seems that there are still Israeli citizens that are afraid to get vaccinated as "fake news" intimidates a significant portion of the public.
In response to the "fake news" phenomenon, the Health Ministry has launched a special team that will combat the false information found online and in the public space, according to N12.
The ministry reported false ads and publications claiming to be written by the Home Front Command and the Health Ministry, according to N12. In addition, there are false publications about the vaccine components.
Furthermore, it has been recently discovered that there are anti-vaxxers (specifically against the coronavirus vaccine) who make an appointment to get vaccinated and do not arrive in order to cause the loss of vaccine doses, according to N12. A number of people who have done so have even celebrated their “achievement” in Facebook posts, N12 reported. The Health Ministry has contacted the police regarding this issue.
"People believe in all kinds of nonsense," ministry officials told N12.
"They inject and smoke all kinds of things when they don't even know what's in them, but they're afraid of a vaccine that doctors trust and have been vaccinated with," health ministry officials told N12.
Currently, all Israelis older than 16 are eligible for the vaccine as the number of daily shots administered in the country appeared to be dwindling.
Three out of four health funds explained to The Jerusalem Post that they are witnessing a slower response rate among the younger population, while the fourth stressed that the demand is still high, but it has not received enough doses from the Health Ministry.
Rossella Tercatin contributed to this report.