A coronavirus vaccination center located in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Shaanan closed Monday after vaccinating some 20,000 foreign nationals, according to a press release from the municipality.
The vaccination center was initially established in partnership with Ichilov Medical Center, and had been operated continuously over the past two months as Israel's vaccination campaign was underway.
Among those having received the vaccine included refugees and asylum seeks, some of whom had unclear legal statuses in Israel. Following the vaccination center's closure, the municipality of Tel Aviv has continued its vaccination campaign via mobile vaccination units.
"I am proud that our efforts have brought Israel to be among the first countries to vaccinate asylum seekers and individuals lacking legal status," Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said.
"Thank you to the Ministry of Health officials for their cooperation, and I express my great appreciation to the staff of Ichilov Hospital who implemented such an important initiative, in which almost 20,000 foreign nationals and people lacking legal status were vaccinated in Tel Aviv-Yafo," he added.
The vaccination of foreign nationals was done at The Platform, Tel Aviv's entrepreneurship center in south Tel Aviv that was converted into a vaccination center. Prior to the conversion, the center operated as a resource hub for asylum seekers in order to help them find jobs in Israel. Most recently, the center offered a coding program for asylum seekers, which has since continued online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown of in-person activities.