Israel’s vaccination campaign, lauded as the fastest and most efficient in the world, is slowly grinding to a halt this week as vaccine supplies run out.

Maccabi, Israel’s second-largest Kupah, announced on Tuesday that it will not be setting any new appointments for vaccinations until Israel receives more vaccines, and later in the day, Clalit also announced that they cannot administer more vaccinations until their supply is replenished.

So far, 1,500,000 Israelis have received their first vaccine doses against the coronavirus. It was announced on Wednesday that Moderna will deliver 300,000 vaccine doses to Israel by early next week with the first half of the shipment expected on Thursday, but that amount won’t be enough to make up the current shortage.

On Wednesday, Transportation Minister Uri Maklev (UTJ) reiterated his demand to the Health Ministry to end the Chillul Shabbos caused by carrying out the vaccination campaign on Shabbos. Prior to beginning the vaccination drive, the Health Ministry had turned to Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau for a heter to administer vaccines on Shabbos. However, Rav Lau paskened that as long as vaccinations are being administered only during normal working hours during the week, carrying out vaccinations on Shabbos is forbidden.

“If vaccinations were administered day and night throughout the week, which would indicate the urgency to vaccinate as swiftly as possible, it would be possible to consider allowing vaccinations on Shabbos,” Rav Lau wrote. “However, at this stage, when even during the week, the vaccinations are not yet being administered throughout all the hours of the day and night, there is no heter to be mechallel Shabbos.”

Despite Rav Lau’s p’sak, the Health Ministry chose to carry out vaccinations on Shabbos, a decision fiercely condemned by Chareidi MKs at the time. Now, Maklev is blaming the necessary lull – the “lack of bracha” – on the public Chillul Shabbos incurred during the vaccination campaign and reiterated his demand that the vaccination campaign be stopped on Shabbos.

“Unfortunately we’re witness to the fact that mass Chillul Shabos is taking place Shabbos after Shabbos with the claim of ‘pikuach nefesh’ while the vaccinations are not being administered even throughout all hours of the day,” Maklev wrote in a letter to Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy.

“At this time, while the Health Ministry and Kupot Cholim are waiting for their supplies to be replenished and are canceling appointments, it’s appropriate that the vaccination campaign be stopped on Shabbos and be carried out only during the week,” Maklev continued.

“It’s very regrettable to see an official government ministry carrying out a vaccination campaign on Shabbos without the approval of any body authorized for this [decision]. As we said from the beginning, we see clearly that anyone who harms the Shabbos doesn’t see a siman bracha. The remaining vaccinations are being delayed on their way to Israel.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)