Netanyahu to share COVID vaccine rollout secrets with leaders' forum

The forum was founded by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to share best practices in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

By LAHAV HARKOV
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu at a Maccabi vaccine center in Tel Aviv on Sunday. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu at a Maccabi vaccine center in Tel Aviv on Sunday.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
A forum of seven national leaders has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to share his advice on successfully administering COVID-19 vaccines to their countries’ populations in a video conference expected to take place next week.
The forum, which previously convened in April and November via video, was founded by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to share best practices in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The other leaders in the forum are Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Israel is the world leader in administering vaccines, with 1.8 million people, nearly 21% of the population, vaccinated as of Sunday afternoon.
The forum’s planned meeting comes after Kurz, Frederiksen and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades consulted with Netanyahu about Israel’s successful vaccine rollout and other possibilities for cooperation in combatting the pandemic. Netanyahu and Frederiksen agreed to deepen professional cooperation between Denmark and Israel.
Frederiksen later posted on Facebook that she spoke with Netanyahu because Israel “currently [has] the world’s most effective mass vaccination program. That’s why we’re talking. Getting wiser and exchanging experiences. It’s so incredibly important that we get all the knowledge we can.”
Anastasiades told Cypriot newspaper Politis he had asked Netanyahu to send some doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Cyprus.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it was not aware of the request.
Among other countries that have sought Israel’s advice on the vaccine rollout are Germany, Britain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Australia, Romania and Croatia.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.


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